Path of the Ninja
by samcheese1
Summary: When Naruto, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Ino, Shikamaru, and Sakura get sent on a mission, new threats arise and new relationships begin. Throw in Temari and Sasuke and see what chaos unfolds. Take a trip down the path of the ninja and see what it has in store for these shinobi. Lots of NaruHina, SasuSaku, NejiTen, ShikaIno, and a dash of AsuKure here and there. AU.
1. A New Mission

_Hello my pretties! I have been on Fanfiction for a while, but have been out of commission for about a year. Now, I have tapped into my imagination and the Plot Bunnies have been bouncing around for too long! It's time for them to come out! I've decided to go through my list of favorite couples from bottom to top in the form of stories! Enough with my jabbering, let the story flow!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used in this story… so far._

_PS: If I misspell names or get the history wrong, please correct me. I haven't watched the show for quite a while and would appreciate the help!_

* * *

**Path of the Ninja**

**Chapter 1: A New Mission**

It was a normal, sunny day in Konoha where an indigo haired heiress was enjoying her morning at the restaurant called Ichiraku's.

"Here's your Miso ramen, Hinata-san," Teuchi said, sliding the steaming bowl to the counter in front of her.

"Thank you," the girl told him. Hinata was nineteen now and had gained more confidence over the years. She still occasionally had lunch with her former teammates, Kiba and Shino, and had gotten quite close with her older cousin, Neji.

"Morning, Hinata-chan!" She turned slightly to see Naruto plop down on the seat next to her, giggling when he almost fell off. "Hey, Old Man! Hit me with some of that ramen! I'm starving!"

_Naruto hasn't changed much over the years either_, Hinata thought. _He was still obnoxious, still funny, still friendly, and still completely oblivious to her feelings_. She sighed at that thought.

"Hinata-chan!" She jumped and looked at Naruto.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?" She asked. _Oops, it seems as if her mind had wandered off_.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "I asked you how your mission went. You just got back yesterday, didn't you?"

"Oh, yes! The mission went very well," she told him with a blush dusting her cheeks at his blue gaze. She may have gained some confidence, but she would always blush when it came to Naruto. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as they both ate their ramen, him eating much faster than her.

"Cool! Well, I gotta go. Maybe we can train later." He put some money on the counter and said, "Say hi to Neji-san for me!" Then he was gone.

Hinata sighed before putting her own money on the counter and walking out, heading toward the Hyuuga Compound. She suddenly stopped and thought back to her and Naruto's conversation. _Did he just...?_ Hinata shook her head and kept walking. Training with Naruto would be... different. Hinata usually trained with Neji or Kiba and Shino. She also trained with Kurenai once in a while and has gotten a lot stronger. She spends most nights on the roof of the main building, watching the stars and sometimes talking to her mom.

"Hinata-chan!" She turned to see Sakura running down the path toward her. "Hey Hinata-chan, Lady Tsunade is asking for us," Sakura said, taking her hand and leading her to the Hokage. Through the years, Sakura and Hinata have also become quite close. They would often spen time talking and letting their feelings out. Hinata could talk to Sakura about Naruto and Sakura could talk to Hinata about Sasuke. They were almost sister-like.

When they arrived, Hinata saw that she wasn't the only one that was asked here. "Hi, Hinata-san! What do you think Tsunade-sama wants? Neji-kun thinks she wants us for a new mission," Tenten said, nodding toward Neji, who just grunted. Shikamaru and Ino were there, too. They were arguing about something that Hinata couldn't hear.

"Tsunade-sama will see you now," Shizune said, nodding for them to go in.

"Where is he?" The Hokage was asking when they came in. "Well, while we wait for the imbecile to arrive, I'll explain. You six and Naruto-kun are being sent on a mission in the Village hidden in the Sand. There has been a report that Akatsuki may have a base hidden in a mountain near the village. You-"

"Wait," Ino interrupted, "Akatsuki… So, we might find Sasuke-kun while on this mission?" Ino and Sakura both looked hopeful. Hinata also saw Shikamaru's eyes narrow in the corner of her eye. He and Ino always argue, but Hinata could tell that Shikamaru was developing feelings for his former teammate.

"Please. I'd be surprised if we see the Traitor. He seems to have a knack for hiding and running away," Shikamaru said, making Ino's face go red in anger. Then, another fight broke out. Neji and Hinata looked on, while Tenten tried to keep Sakura from joining in on the argument.

Hinata jumped when she felt someone slide in next to her. She looked over to see Naruto. "What did I miss," he asked. Hinata found that she couldn't form words. Luckily, Neji came to her rescue.

"Well," Neji said, "Basically, we're being sent to the Sand Village to find information on Akatsuki. We think they might have a base in a mountain near there."

"Silence!" Tsunade yelled. They all got quiet and turned back toward the Hokage. "Well, Naruto-kun, it's nice of you to join us." Naruto blushed slightly. "And Ino-san, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't interrupt me." Shikamaru chuckled and Ino elbowed him in the ribs. "Now that you're all here, I'll continue. Yes, Ino-san, there is a chance that you will find Sasuke-san with the Akatsuki, though it is slim. No matter, though. If you encounter any of the Akatsuki, you are not to take action. This is a surveillance mission only." Another round of arguing broke out at that.

"Silence! You will not intercept the Akatsuki. This mission is only for information," the Hokage said again.

"But, Tsunade-sama," Sakura spoke, "If it's only surveillance, why do we need so many people for the mission?"

Tsunade sighed. "We have reason to believe that Akatsuki may be kidnapping young villagers. In this case, you will rescue them. But, you go in, get the prisoners out, and that is the end. After you get them out, the mission is over. Akatsuki will find out and come after you. That being said, the base must also be destroyed. You will leave at seven tomorrow morning. Gaara-sama and Temari-san will meet you halfway and lead you safely to the Sand Village. You have until then to pack and inform your families of your absence. That is all. You are dismissed."

"Well, Hinata-chan" Naruto said as they left, "Looks like our training session will have to wait. See you tomorrow!" He winked as he turned away. Hinata blushed deeply.

As they all went their separate ways, Tenten stopped Hinata and Neji. "Hey guys, do you mind if I come with you?" She asked them. Neji and Hinata nodded, knowing that Tenten didn't have a family to report to. Tenten brightened and walked with them toward the Hyuuga compound, her shoulder occasionally brushing against Neji's.

When they arrived at the compound, Tenten shied away. "I'll leave you guys to it then. See you tomorrow." She turned away and started walking home.

"Um, Hinata-chan. I'm going to walk Tenten-chan home. Could you tell your father that I'll be gone as well?" Neji asked her

"Sure," Hinata told him, but he was already trying to catch up with Tenten. She watched him go with a small smile. Hinata knew he liked her and told him as much. He had denied it, but she eventually made him realize that he had liked the kunoichi for a while now, since they were together all the time, training. They were even on the same team under Gai Sensei. _I wonder if Naruto and I will be that close some day..._ she thought.

Later that night, Hinata sat on the roof of the main Hyuuga building, looking at the stars. "I have a new mission, Mom. Neji-niisan, Tenten-san, Ino-san, Shikamaru-san, Sakura-chan, and Naruto-kun are coming, too... I wonder, Okaasan... Do you think he'll notice I've gotten stronger?... Well, I should be getting to bed. Wish me luck, Okaasan." With that, Hinata carefully made her way back through the window of her bedroom, not knowing she was being watched the entire time.

* * *

"Go _away, _Shikamaru!" Ino was pissed at him for what he said.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, I _live_ down here, Ino-chan."

Ino ignored him and continued, "How could you say that about Sasuke-kun? He left because-"

"He left for power. Just enough to kill his brother and keep for himself." Now, Shikamaru was getting mad.

Ino was steaming. "He left because he cares about m- _the village_!"

She had hoped he wouldn't catch her mistake, but -being Shikamaru- he did. "Ha, you think he cares about you? He didn't even tell you he was leaving! As far as I can tell, he doesn't care about anyone."

"And you do?" They were nose to nose. "You don't care about me! You only care about yourself!"

"Of course I care about you!"

"Prove it!"

The next thing Ino knew, he was kissing her, his lips moving softly against hers. It had only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to confuse them both.

Ino, for once, was speechless. "You… Y-you just… _kissed_ me," she spluttered out, but he was already walking away.

* * *

Sakura had stayed behind to speak with Lady Tsunade. "… There's a catch, isn't there?"

The Hokage sighed. "Yes, Sakura-san. This information is not to leave this room, understood? You're the only one I trust with it." Sakura nodded. "The reports we've gotten… We think the Akatsuki are kidnapping villagers to experiment on them with a new technique." She took out a folder and handed it to Sakura.

Sakura's eyes widened as she read. "This is… insane!"

Tsunade continued, "Yes. We think they've found a way to… extract a ninja's jutsu. Steal it from them. Even family traits. Like the Byakugan."

Sakura gasped. "If they can steal the traits and jutsu's… they would be too powerful for any ninja. Unstoppable. And if they wanted power, the first target would be…"

"Sasuke-san," Tsunade agreed. "It's because of this that we think Sasuke-san will be in the area. Knowing him, he would plan to attack them before they attacked him. If we know this, they probably do too. That is why you and your team will either try to keep him from attacking, or save him when he gets caught." Her gaze softened. "That is also why I'm choosing _you_ to lead this mission. You must also make sure that the Akatsuki do not obtain any of the ninja on your team. If they got a hold of the Byakugan, it would be disasterous."

Sakura laughed bitterly. "What makes you think he'll listen to me, Lady Tsunade? He left me, remember?"

Tsunade reached over and took Sakura's hands, making her look the Hokage in the eyes. "I believe that Sasuke Uchiha has different reasons for leaving than everyone assumes. I also believe that if anyone can get through to him, you can. You are special to him Sakura-chan. I could see it in his eyes. You were different from everyone else to him. That's why he'll listen to you, because he knows that if he doesn't, you'll be the person to go back in and throw yourself in front of danger to protect him. He wants to protect you, Sakura-san."

Sakura was speechless.

* * *

_Well, how was it? Like I said, corrections are appreciated, because of the lack of Naruto knowledge. Thank you for reading! I'll probably update later this week with longer chapters! This is my first NaruHina fic, so please be kind! And please review!_


	2. Day One

_Hi everyone!Ok, I have a few things to clear up before we continue with the story._

_1. I have not read the manga, so I will not reference to that. Even if it's similar._

_2. I am just beginning to understand the -chan, -kun, -san, -sama suffixes so forgive me if they're wrong._

_3. This is AU, so it will be different than how things may have turned out in the show._

_4. Again, AU, so Asuma's alive._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters._

* * *

**Chapter 2: Day 1**

Ino Yamanaka waited at the gates of Konoha at 6:45 am. The platinum blonde had set down her bag and was pacing back and forth with her fingers rubbing her temples, trying to sort out her chaotic thoughts. She found that speaking aloud helped. It didn't help _much_, but it was better than moping.

"Okay, Yamanaka. Shikamaru-kun kissed you. What do you do? Um… I could confront him about it… No, then he'd just shrug it off… I could just forget about it… Who am I kidding? It's _all_ I can think about! Why is this so hard? How did it even _happen_?"

"I think the better question is: Do you want it to happen again?"

Ino jumped and turned around to see Sakura leaning against the gate. "Jeez, Forehead! Where a bell or something, would ya!… How long were you standing there?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and moved toward her sort-of-friend. "The others won't be here for another five or ten minutes. And I heard enough to know what's going on. Now, answer the question."

Ino turned away to hide her blush. "What question?" She asked.

Sakura grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. "Don't play dumb. You heard me. Do you, Ino-chan, want Shikamaru-san to kiss you again?"

Ino giggled nervously, but Sakura was dead serious. "I… I don't know, okay! It was- I said- then he- and I don't _know_!"

Sakura watched, shocked, as Ino sank to her knees. The pink haired medic-nin had never seen her friend like this and wasn't sure how to handle it. So, she went on instinct and sank down next to Ino. "How about we start with how you feel about Shikamaru-san."

Ino huffed. "He's annoying, stubborn, a know-it-all, and extremely hard to figure out."

"But…" Sakura pushed.

"But… He's also incredibly smart, kind, and... he's always been there for me… and I-"

"Yo! We ready to go?" A voice boomed and Ino sprang up, away from Sakura.

"Uh, yeah. Is everyone here?" She asked. She looked over the team. When Ino's eye's met Shikamaru's, she flushed and turned toward her discarded bags to hide her red cheeks, picking them up. Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed, sensing Ino's unease.

"Alright," Sakura started, "Since I'm leading the mission, we'll travel for about six hours or until we get to tired. Then, we'll rest and eat lunch for a little bit before traveling again until nightfall. After that, we'll set up camp for the night. It will take about four days to reach the sand village. That means Gaara-sama and Temari-san will meet up with us later tomorrow. Stick together. We don't know who else is taking the same path we are. Got it?" The team nodded and they set out into the forest, the gates closing behind them.

* * *

"You asked for me, Tsunade-sama?" Kurenai was curious as to why she was summoned, since she has been on maternity leave, being 36 weeks pregnant and sporting quite a large baby bump. Which is also why someone had escorted her to the office and was assigned to help her whenever she requested it, which wasn't very often.

The Hokage smiled at the very pregnant jonin. "Yes, Kurenai-san. As you know, soon you'll be on watch for when you go into labor. In fact, we already have a room reserved for you at the hospital. I just wanted to let you know that Asuma has just sent in his last report and will be back from his mission within the week. I know it's been hard the past couple months without him here to help with the pregnancy and-"

"Excuse me, Tsunade-sama, but I believe that I've been getting along just fine."

Tsunade smiled at the jonin's familiar offensiveness. "I'm sure you have, Kurenai-san. I just wanted to let you know that there won't be any more delays in his arrival and he'll be here in plenty of time for the birth."

Kurenai sighed. "He better be, or I'll kick his butt all the way to Kirigakure... Is that all?"

Tsunade nodded and noticed that the woman looked more relieved than she led on in her rant. She smiled and thought to herself, _I hope for your sake Asuma, that you get here soon. Otherwise you'll have an angry pregnant Kurenai to deal with. _She chuckled at the thought.

* * *

Hinata was beginning to feel uneasy. The team had already stopped for lunch and had traveled for a few more hours when she began to feel like they were being watched

She increased her speed slightly to catch up to her cousin. "Neji-niisan." He looked toward her, his Byakugan already activated . "You feel it, too?"

He nodded and she also activated her Byakugan, sliding back into her place beside Naruto.

It was silent for a few moments until Hinata saw a flash from the corner of her eye. "Watch out!" She warned, tackling Naruto to the forest floor. Fortunately, the kunai had nicked her calf instead of planting itself in Naruto. They hit the ground with an 'oomph' with Hinata under Naruto.

Naruto quickly realized their position and stood up, offering her a hand. Hinata took it and blushed at the contact. "Ah!" She pulled herself up only to fall back to the ground in pain.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled for the medic-nin as the rest of the team found their way to Naruto and Hinata. Sakura knelt next to Hinata and gently touched the wound, her hand surrounded in green chakra. Hinata sucked in a breath, but felt the pain subsiding.

"I've stopped the bleeding, but you shouldn't walk on it until tomorrow," Sakura told her. Hinata sighed. This meant she wouldn't be able to fight.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Everyone dropped into a defensive stance, not knowing where the female voice was coming from.

"Why, it looks like another ragtag team from the leaf village. How nice." This voice was male.

Ino didn't like that. "What did he just call us?" She threw a kunai into the trees angrily. She knew it wouldn't hit, but it relieved some of the rage growling inside of her.

Neji looked toward the tree to his left, his Byakugan sensing a male chakra in the branches. He threw several shurikan toward the man, but none of them made contact.

Then, the man and woman landed a few feet away from them. The man had snow white hair tied back with a black rubber band. A pale scar outlined one of his beady black eyes, standing out against his tan skin. He dropped Neji's shurikan on the ground in front of them.

The woman laughed annoyingly. It was even more annoying than when Ino squeals. She had short hair matching the man's and icy blue eyes. Her pale skin differenced her from the man.

"Why hello, kids. Got anything good? We wouldn't want to take you out for no reason," she said.

The man mockingly gasped. "Sister, we're being rude. My name is Izo and this is my dear sister Yukiko. I hope you like the sound of our voices."

"Because that's the last thing you're going to here." Yukiko finished. Then they charged at the leaf ninja.

"Naruto, I'll stay with Hinata-chan. Go help. Though I doubt they'll need it." Sakura glanced at the siblings. "They just seem like a couple of bullies." Naruto nodded and joined the fight. Sakura looked back at Hinata, seeing her pout. "Don't worry Hinata-chan. They don't look like much of a challenge anyway."

As Naruto joined the fight, it looked as if they had been split up so that Ino and Tenten were fighting Yukiko, while Shikamaru and Neji faced Izo. Naruto went to help fight Izo, because he seemed to be stronger than his sister.

Neji had his Byakugan activated and was trying to get hits on Izo's chakra points, but it seemed like Izo was well trained in hand-to-hand combat and could defend against both Neji and Shikamaru.

Naruto had an idea. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Shadow clones began to pour into the small clearing, attacking the siblings. Smoke blew all around as the clones were defeated, but this gave the leaf ninja time to regroup. Slowly, the clones boxed the siblings in until they were back to back. Then, Tenten was ready with her long chain, jumping over the smoke and wrapping up Izo and Yukiko.

"This is all your fault, Izo! You _said_ they were just a few weaklings! _You_ said we could take them! _You said _that…"

As Yukiko ranted, the Neji wrote a report to the Hokage, telling her to send someone to pick up the thieves. After calling a messanger bird, they decided to keep traveling until setting up camp at nightfall.

"Naruto-kun, I-I can walk." Hinata said as she was being hoisted up onto Naruto's back, blushing at being so close to him, but refused to faint. "You don't have to carry me."

Naruto turned and smiled at her, making her blush deepen. "No can do. Sakura-chan said you have to stay off that leg until tomorrow. Besides, you got hurt saving me from that kunai. The least I can do is carry you until we set up camp."

Hinata was still blushing as they started running across the tree branches. She figured that her hard-headed Naruto wouldn't change his mind, so she snuggled further into his warm back, feeling his muscles move as he ran.

A while later, Naruto tightened his hold on Hinata as she started to doze off. He smiled. "Sweet dreams, Hina-chan. I'll wake you up when we leave tomorrow."

Hinata mumbled something in response, but Naruto guessed that she was already sleeping. He would hand her off to the girls when they set up camp later. Even with those thieves delaying them slightly, Naruto knew he'd be sleeping well tonight.

* * *

Later that night, Sakura got up from her position squished between a sleeping Ino and Hinata. She needed some air, some time to think. Finding a nice tree to sit under, Sakura put her head in her hands. She completely didn't understand why Lady Tsunade had chosen her to lead this mission. If anyone, it should have been Shikamaru.

Then again, Sakura realized that she was the only one on this mission who didn't have a counter part to worry about. Shikamaru and Ino were going through a confusing time, but she knew they would always protect each other. Hinata just proved that she would do anything to protect Naruto and vice-versa. And Sakura wouldn't be surprised if Neji and Tenten were already dating. She sighed deeply.

Then, her head whipped up as she heard a rustle in the trees above her.

"Sasuke-kun?"

* * *

_Thank you for reading! I probably won't be updating until Monday. I have a busy weekend. Sorry! And sorry about updating so late. I'm a big procrastinator. I hope you liked it!_


	3. Taken

_Hello, Readers! Thank you for staying with my story! Or if you just started reading it. This one may seem kind of rushed. I hope you still like it! And remember, this is AU. Some of the characters may also be a little OOC, so please be patient with me. If you get confused at all or I make a mistake, please tell me and I will fix it!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto of any of the characters._

* * *

**Chapter 3: Taken**

Sakura felt pathetic.

The others had just woken up, while she had made breakfast already. Just some simple sausage cooked over the fire. They tumbled sleepily out of their respective tents, first Neji, then Hinata, then Tenten, and so on.

Had she really seen Sasuke? No, she didn't. A small rustling of the trees and a gust of wind. A bird or rabbit, maybe. Not Sasuke. After her breakdown, Sakura had returned to the girls' tent. She stayed awake until dawn, then went out to start breakfast. She was, in fact, able to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she was plagued with images of Sasuke, of her unrequited love.

"Hey, Sakura-san. Did you sleep well?" It was Tenten, her eyes already wide awake, unlike the others.

"Uh, yeah." She didn't want them to think that their leader was weak, that she couldn't handle the job. Because she would, no matter what.

Ino narrowed her eyes, knowing something was up, but she would interrogate Sakura later.

Soon, everyone was finishing their breakfast and packing up camp. The tents were collapsed and the fire put out. As soon as they were ready, they were running again.

Sakura was in the lead, well in front of the others. Suddenly, a platinum-blonde-haired kunoichi was running alongside her, a mischievous expression adorning her face.

"So, what did you _really_ do last night?" Ino was met with silence. "Oh, come on, Forehead. Just spit it out."

"Have you talked to Shikamaru-san yet?" Ino flushed and turned away.

"About what?" She asked, turning back. Sakura glared, triggering a sigh from Ino. "No."

Now, Sakura sighed. "Ino-chan, you can't keep putting this off. He's your friend. If you don't talk to him… you're going to lose him."

"If I _do_ talk to him, I lose him. Don't you see? No matter what I do… that kiss changed us… and I can't fix it!"

Sakura gaped at the distraught kunoichi next to her, trying to remember the last time she said the word '_can't_'. She grabbed Ino's arm. 'What are you talking about? Of course you can fix it! Ino-chan, Shikamaru-san kissed you. He wouldn't do that if he didn't like you. And I know that you like him too. So, why wouldn't it work out?"

"Look, I know what you're trying to do, but I just… can't-"

"Is everything okay?"

Deep into their conversation, Sakura and Ino hadn't noticed they'd come to a stop completely. Ino looked at Shikamaru and let out a sad sigh. "No. Nothing's okay, anymore." Then she was running again. But this time, she was running away.

Of course, Shikamaru was hot on her tail. He just let her run for a little bit, blow off steam. Then he heard a shout from Hinata, "There's something up ahead. Some_one_!" Then, he was speeding toward her.

"Ino-chan," Shikamaru caught up to her, grabbing her wrist, "Why are you running from me." She just looked away. "Is this about that troublesome kiss?" He felt her wrist wrench out of his grasp. "Look, Ino-chan, we need to talk about that… I-"

"Shikamaru-kun!"

The two turned and Ino's face fell. It was Temari. Gaara came a bit after her. Temari had that challenging smirk and was gazing straight at Shikamaru. Ino knew she was hearing things when Shikamaru said, "What a drag… Troublesome woman…" Or maybe he was just talking about her.

* * *

"I thought we weren't supposed to see you until later today. We have been delayed several times," Tenten was saying to the two sand ninja. They had all gathered around a small fire and were toasting some sandwiches for lunch. Ino was sitting as far away from Shikamaru and Temari as she could. Needless to say, he didn't like it.

"Well, since we weren't doing much and Matsuri's on a mission, we figured we would leave early. Since you weren't at the meeting place, we figured we'd just keep going until we ran into you. I'm glad we did." Temari kept glancing at Shikamaru, but he ignored it. Meanwhile, Ino was silently steaming, her blood boiling and hoping she would get to fight the sand girl sometime.

Tenten was still curious. "Are you sure there wasn't any _other_ reasons?" As she wiggled her eyebrows, Temari blushed slightly, but glared anyway.

Then, she smirked. "So, Neji, have you asked Tenten out, yet?"

Neji's usually calm demeanor was interrupted by him choking on his sandwich and eventually spitting it out, while Tenten blushed furiously. Ino had enough. She was just about to pounce when a gust of wind blew past her.

"Ah!"

"Hinata!"

Sure enough, they looked around and Hinata was gone. Everyone was immediately up on their feet. Neji activated his Byakugan and stared running back the way they came, Naruto and the others hot on his tail. Hinata's screams had stopped and the ninja picked up speed.

"Ah!"

Now, Tenten had been pulled away from the group.

"Oh!"

And Sakura.

"Eep!"

"Ino!"

Then, all the leaf kunoichi were gone. Pulled into the deep forest ahead. Neji could see the enemies' chakra. He knew they were close and braced himself for the fight that was sure to come.

They suddenly crashed through the underbrush, into a large clearing with tall grass waving in the breeze. And at the other end were two men, the four girls slung over their shoulders, unconscious, like rag dolls.

"Who do you think you are!? Give them back!" Naruto yelled. He looked at Hinata's pale, sleeping face, wondering why bad luck always followed them.

"Why, hello, young travelers. Are these beautiful wenches from your little group? No matter. They will get us great rewards." A long tongue slid out to lick his lips as he looked toward Tenten over his shoulder. "They may even rewards themselves. Isn't that right, Kenta?"

Kenta was a man with unusually large muscles, his veins popping up beneath the skin. He had no hair, but his face was marred with pale scars, his mouth barely visible. He just grunted to his master.

The man who spoke had long, matted, mossy-green hair framing his yellowish face He talked with a strange, raspy accent. His eyes were a bright green and slit like a reptile's. "I am Tokage. Lizard Man."

His long tongue darted out to trace Hinata's face and Naruto lost it. He charged forward, activating his shadow clone jutsu and surrounding the men.

"You know, Akatsuki is very … _interested_ in you shinobi. We will get a very generous reward if we were to lead you straight into a trap." The ninja froze, Takoge grinned, knowing he had their attention. "But then again, what fun would that be? I prefer to take a few turns on the way." Then, they were gone in a plume of smoke.

"No!" Naruto fell to his knees, letting out as many curses as he could muster. Neji turned, trying to find any trace of the men or girls' chakra. Shikamaru just looked down.

Temari put a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be fine Shikamaru. We'll get your friends back. Then, we can head to my village and finish the mission. After it's over, we'll have plenty of time to ourselves." Shikamaru tore his shoulder away from her grasp, appalled at her nerve to take this situation so lightly. No wonder Ino didn't like her.

_Ino_… How could Shikamaru be so stupid. This was all his fault. If he hadn't kissed her, if hadn't gotten so confused, if they hadn't changed… None of this would have happened… Who was he kidding? This would've happened anyway. His feelings had to come out sometime, even if it happened to be the worst time possible, it was inevitable.

Meanwhile, Neji had found some sort of trail. Though it wasn't chakra. It was a _smell_. "Alright!" Everyone turned to him. "I think our best bet is to send a report back to Tsunade-sama and get Kiba and Shino out here. They're the best trackers."

Naruto stood up. "So, we're supposed to just sit and wait for them? They could be halfway back to Suna by then.""It's our only chance! If we attempt to track them on our own, chances are we'll just get lost and they'll get farther ahead. I'll call the messenger bird and write up the report."

Naruto stood up and got in Neji's face. His voice a deadly whisper, something very unusual for the blonde shinobi. "I can't just _sit_ here Neji. Not when Hinata-chan's life ison the line."

Neji's eyes narrowed at the thought of Naruto with his dear cousin. "You think I don't know that? Hinata-chan and Tenten-chan are two of the only people I have left. But I'd rather wait for help than go do something stupid that could cost them their lives. From now on, we play it safe." Neji looked to the others. "That goes for the rest of you, too. We're not taking any chances."

After the message was sent back to Konoha, the ninja started to set up camp. Some started to play stupid games. Some even just stared off into the forest. Anything that might help distract them from the thought of losing the person who mattered most in their life. Anything to distract them from thinking about what might happen if they were too late.

* * *

"Now, who shall we play with first? Hmm… Kenta, I'll let you do the honors. After all, you are the muscle in this opperation."

In a cave not far from the clearing. Tokage and Kenta have tied up the girls and place gags in their mouths. A fire burned in front of them. Hinata let a few silebt tears fall, but no more than that, and stared at the entrance to the cave. Sakura was still knocked out. Tenten fought with her bindings, eventually giving up as the rope was laced with chakra and had painfully burned through the skin on her wrists. Every move she made sent pain through her arm.

Kenta stomped over to Ino. She looked utterly disgusted as he sniffed her hair and started grabbing at it, running it through his dirt-caked fingers. He smelled like he had walked through a sewer and his breath smelled like dead rabbits and raw onions. His face contorted strangely and disturbingly as he attempted to smile through his gruesome scars.

_Damn it, Shikamaru! Where are you when I need you! _But she knew he would come. He always did. At least, that's what she hoped. After everything that's happened between them, she didn't even know if they were friends anymore.

Ino looked on, her eyes widening as Kenta placed a thin sword in the fire, letting it get hot. Then, it was waved so close to her neck, that she could feel the heat searing into her throat.

* * *

_Please, Shika-kun…. hurry…_

_Thank you for reading! Please review! And ideas are welcomed. I hope you stay with the story. I will probably update on Wednesday. And just to warn you, I won't have a computer all weekend, so the one after the next will take a while. Sorry. Remember, Wednesday!_


	4. The Plan

_Hi everybody! Sorry it's so late, but I got delayed. I have a couple of things to clear up._

_1. For those of you who were wondering, this does take place after Naruto reaches Sage Mode. And Pervy Sage is in fact dead._

_2. I have decided to just not use the honorifics. I feel like it just makes it confusing and it slows down my writing. But, I'm not completely abandoning them. I will use them when adressing with lots of respect like Tsunade-sama. And I will use them between couples using pet names or showing love, like Hina-chan, Naru-kun, Shika-kun, etc._

_Thank you for reading! I hope you don't get confused!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters._

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Plan**

Tsunade was doing paperwork in her office when the messenger bird arrived.

"Shizune! Gather Kiba, Shino, Lee, Gai, and Kakashi. It's an emergancy!" The report from Neji had informed the Hokage of the kunoichi's kidnapping. Tsunade was very distraught about this. She had been training Sakura for a while now and had developed a strong bond with the girl.

After a long twenty minutes, Shizune returned with the requested shinobi and was about to leave. "Shizune! This concerns you too." Shizune slipped back in the room and stood near Gai, who she had been dating for a while now.

"I have just been informed that the mission we had sent Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Neji, Tenten, and Sakura on has been interrupted. Two men trying to appease the Akatsuki have kidnapped each kunoichi that was sent on the mission." Tsunade sighed. "Unfortunately, the men left only a slight trail that the others can't trace. So, Kiba and Akamaru and Shino are being sent to help track down the girls."

Lee raised his hand. "Tsunade-sama, why are the rest of us being sent out? Shouldn't the others be plenty strong and youthful?"

Tsunade sighed again. She seemed to be doing that often these days. "I'm afraid that Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru will too distracted by their emotions to control the situation. I am sending the rest of you to help them and keep them in line. I would have liked Asuma to go, since he is already near the team, but he is needed here with-"

"No." Kurenai was standing in the doorway, one hand supporting her on the doorframe. Shizune immediately went over to help the pregnant jonin. "Let Asuma-kun go on the mission. I'll be fine, I'm not due for another couple of weeks. Besides, how will I live with myself if I know that I've kept him out of the mission with the most action in the past five years. I'll send him the message now."

Tsunade looked skeptical, but knew that Kurenai wouldn't take no for an answer. "Fine. Shizune, while the others are gone, you will keep constant watch on Kurenai. If she so much as has a false contraction, I want you to come to me and I'll bring Asuma home immediately. Kurenai, you will not object to this and will let me bring Asuma home. Are we clear?" They both nodded. "Good. You will send the report immediately after you get home. You both may leave."

The Hokage looked to the rest of them. "You will all leave immediately. Get packed and meet at the gates in an hour."

* * *

Asuma was running across the treetops when a messenger bird caught his eye. He stopped to take the message, keeping his blalance on a steady branch, and unfolded the thin paper. He let out a small smile as he saw who sent it.

_Dear Asuma-kun,_

_There has been an incident on a recent mission. Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Ino, Hinata, Tenten, and Sakura were sent on a surveillance and rescue mission directed at Akatsuki. They were halfway to Suna when two men attacked. These men have kidnapped Hinata, Ino, Tenten, and Sakura. Since you are closer to them, you are to go help. I know you want to help me, but I'm not due for a few more weeks. You will have plenty of time to complete the mission and get back in time for the birth. The others will probably have lit a signal fire so that you can find them. You better not die, Asuma-kun. I won't let this baby grow up without a father. So, be careful. I love you._

_Love, Kurenai-chan_

Asuma groaned. He had just gotten done with two-month mission and was looking forward to getting home to his wife and unborn child. But, he was also glad that Kurenai had let him go help his former students. The news about Ino troubled him. She was loud and obnoxious, but Asuma cared about her all the same.

The jonin found a higher tree and looked out over the forest. He should already be close enough to see smoke from the signal fire. He finally found it and judged it to be about a two hour run from where he was standing. He sighed deeply, cracked his back, and set off for _another_ mission.

* * *

It had been almost eight hours since the girls were taken and Shikamaru thought he was going to go crazy. Between worrying about Ino, waiting for reinforcements, trying to come up with a plan, and Temari trying to hit on him, he was ready to bang his head into a tree. But, of course, on the outside he was calm, collected, and bored.

Naruto was also losing it, but he wasn't really trying to hide it. He was pacing back and forth. Once and a while, he'd summon some clones and play a pointless game, trying to pass the time faster. Once, he got frustrated, going crazy and jumping around in the trees. The Kyuubi inside him was also getting restless, sensing that his mate was in trouble (though Naruto had no idea what he was talking about when he said 'mate').

Neji was talking to the sand ninja, trying to find out more about the supposed 'kidnappings' happening in Suna. He was worried about the kids, but he wouldn't put it past Akatsuki to stage the entire thing to lure the leaf ninja in. During their travels the day before, Sakura had informed Neji about the Akatsuki's 'experiment' that she had discussed with the Hokage and told him that if something were to happen to her, he would have to step up into the role as leader.

"We are fairly certain that there were real Suna children taken. Several mothers and fathers have reported kidnappings and there were a couple of witnesses to verify the crimes." Temari was updating Neji, due to Gaara's usual silence. "There's no way that Akatsuki could have staged kidnappings of people who have been living in the village for years... Could they?"

Neji shrugged, his Byakugan already activated out of habit. It would be so much easier to have Shikamaru helping them, but he seemed to be busy. He noticed Temari kept glancing in the shadow ninja's direction and decided that they needed his help. "Shikamaru! Get over here!"

Shikamaru sighed and mumbled under his breath as he got up, "Troublesome... This is such a drag..." Eventually he made his way over to the four ninja, Naruto was still pacing and seemed to be talking to the Kyuubi, his eyes closed and his feet never missing a step.

Neji turned to Shikamaru. "We're thinking that, when the reinforcements get here, we'll split into two teams. One will go find the girls and the other will go find the Akatsuki. We'll need help devising the teams. I'm thinking that we'll split up the trackers, Kiba and Akamaru on one team while Shino on the other. I'll probably be going with the team to get the girls, since my Byakugan will help to find them when we get close. Do you have any other ideas about who goes where?"

Shikamaru thought for a few moments, then dropped into his meditation stance, thinking.

Meanwhile, the Kyuubi and Naruto were still in his head.

_**"Listen Kit, you must find our mate. She is very important. If you would let me out, I can track them down in a moment."**_

_"What are you talking about? My 'mate'?" _Naruto was seriously confused.

The Kyuubi was getting frustrated at how dense the young ninja was. "_**Listen closely, you know how people fall in love and date and everything? Well, it's different for us. Because I'm inside you, once we find that person, it's forever. No breaking up, no falling for anyone else. It will be her and only her for the rest of your life. You have already found your mate."**_

Naruto was having a hard time keeping up with the demon, but was pretty sure that he got the gist of it. But it still confused him. "_But, I haven't fallen in love yet."_

The demon sighed irritably. "_**Maybe not yet, but you will. Once you meet your mate, it's all set in stone. I guess you could call it fate. Does your puny mind understand?"**_

Naruto was shocked to say the least. He hadn't thought about love in a long time. Not since he realized his interest in Sakura was just a small crush, not love. He did have a small crush on Hinata, but what if she wasn't his '_mate_'? _"Who is it, then? I have to know!"_

The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed at the boy's tone of voice. _**"Unfortunately," **_he said, _**"I can't tell you that. The only reason I know you've found her is that I can feel her presence when she's near, but that's all I can tell. Get close to the kunoichi once and I'll tell you when it's our mate."**_

While Naruto was still in his head with his (literal) inner demon, Shikamaru had finished thinking. "First of all, I think that Kiba and Akamaru should be the ones to track the girls. They are more experienced tracking things down when they have a trail to start with. By the time they get here, the trail will be faint, but it'll be enough to go on. Where as Shino's bugs can fan out and search around Suna for any Akatsuki. I'm pretty sure his bugs can sense their powerful chakra or something. Lee should also go for the girls. His strength may help with the rescue, but he'll be at a disadvantage without ninjitsu against the Akatsuki."

He threw another piece of wood on the fire. "Naruto and Gaara should probably go for the Akatsuki, because of their added strength from Shukaku and Kyuubi. Kakashi and Gai are better as a team and should go for the Akatsuki. Temari's long-range attacks will help more with the Akatsuki. And I'll go to find the girls. Ino and I work well together. More people will be with the Akatsuki because they have more members and once we get the girls free, we'll have plenty to face two men. Sound like a plan?"

"But where do _I_ fit into this?"

They all turned around, even Naruto, and dropped into a defensive stance, expecting a fight.

Then, Shikamaru smirked. "Hey, Asuma. Unfortunately, you'll be taking the safe path, with finding the girls. Kurenai would kill me if I did anything less."

Asuma scowled, but then brightened and walked toward the shadow ninja. He grabbed Shikamaru by the scruff of his neck and led him a small ways away from the group. "Good. This'll give you a lot of time to explain how you _let them take Ino_."

Shikamaru scowled. "I didn't '_let'_ anything happen." He was growling, low and dangerous. "They ambushed us, took us by surprise. They retreated as soon as they got what they wanted. I didn't _let_ them take her. They _took her _from _me_."

* * *

"Damn it, girl! Why won't you scream?"

Ino had been receiving the worst of their torture. She had been using her stubbornness. The more they tortured her, the less they tortured the others. Her mouth was filled with blood from her biting her lips and inner cheek to keep from screaming. Once and a while, she would spit some of her blood in their faces, taunting them.

Tokage and Kenta would take turns dipping their sword into the fire until it was red hot and then pressing it into her skin, branding her. First, they had started with her legs, then moved to her back, and they had fortunately only left one on her face, from her left eyebrow to her left ear.

Unfortunately, she forgot that Sakura was just as stubborn as she was. Hinata and Tenten didn't get as much, at least.

As Tokage went to scan the area and Kenta was distracted by the flames, Sakura turned her head toward Ino. "Ino, I need you to scream."

Ino was shocked. "What? No! Then, you'll get all of it!"

"Sh!" Sakura glanced at Kenta. He was still entranced by the fire. "I know. That's the point. I'll take most of it, then they'll focus on me. You can't get too beat up or you won't make it."

"Why would I let you take it instead of me?"

Sakura smiled sadly. "Because you have someone to go home to. Just promise me one thing. When we get out of this, you'll tell Shikamaru how you feel. No buts!"

Ino had tears in her eyes, but Sakura stopped her before she could protest. She sniffed and nodded.

About forty minutes later, when Tokage came back and pressed the hot blade to her upper arm...

... Ino screamed.

* * *

_Hey guys! Thanks for reading! Now, remember, I probably won't be updating until next Wednesday. Sorry it's gonna be so long! But it has to be that way. So, please bear with me. Thank you!_


	5. Rescue Mission

_Hello! I'm back everyone! I finally got to a computer! Thank you all for being so patient! This chapter is longer than usual because I had to pack in all this action. I hope you all enjoy it! (Sorry about the overuse of exclamation marks, I'm just excited about this one!)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters._

* * *

**Chapter 5: Rescue Mission**

It was almost noon and they weren't nearly as close to Tokage's hideout as they should have been.

Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, and Asuma were traveling amongst the tree branches with Kiba and Akamaru leading the way. They had been delayed a good half hour by arguing with Naruto and Temari about how they had to go fight Akatsuki. Naruto was very worried about Hinata and the girls and thought he should be there to help, but he was so powerful that the team with Akatsuki would need him more and he knew it.

Temari just wanted to be close to Shikamaru and frankly, he was getting seriously annoyed with the troublesome girl. She had said she was worried about their friends, but they all knew she wasn't all that close to them. Her act didn't work and she flipped off Shikamaru as she turned to follow her brother in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, Kiba and Akamaru took a sharp right and the others had to backtrack to catch up. "Hey, Kiba! Mind giving us a little warning next time?" Asuma was mad because his skidding stop to turn had caused him to trip and hit his head on a tree.

Kiba just ignored him and kept running. They knew he was worried about Hinata and the girls, but Shikamaru suspected that there was something else under the surface. He feared that Kiba might have a crush on the young Hyuuga and that would end badly. Hinata's love for Naruto was no secret and the dobe was bound to come around to her soon. Naruto and Hinata were good together and Kiba shouldn't stick his doggy nose into it.

Shikamaru sped up to run beside the tracker. "Kiba, Hinata'll be alright. You can slow down a little." Kiba's eyes narrowed, but didn't glance toward the shadow ninja. So, he tried again. "Are you sure she's just your friend? You two seem pretty close. If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was your girlfriend."

At that, Kiba almost tripped and had to regain his footing while still running. "What the hell, Shikamaru! Can't you see I'm busy tracking?" Shikamaru just shrugged and fell back to his original place beside Asuma, his suspicions already confirmed.

After another good hour of running, Akamaru barked and Kiba smirked. They were getting close. "Only about a twenty minute run away! We're almost there!"

"Wait!" Neji had stopped and the others followed his lead. "Since we're close, we should stop and rest for bit and come up with a plan to save them."

"But, Neji-san! We are so close to them! This would be a very youthful opportunity to take while the day is still young!" Lee had much more energy than them and was bouncing from foot to foot excitedly.

The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed. "We've been running for a good three hours. We'll do no good to the girls if we are too tired to fight properly. We will rest for a few hours and eat. If the trail becomes faint, Kiba will let us know and we will move closer, but we have to stay out of sight. Nightfall is the best cover and we need all the help we can get.

The others were anxious and reluctant, but nodded and began to set up camp.

* * *

Hours later, it was nearly dusk and Neji decided it was time to put their plan into action.

They packed up their camp, leaving it all hidden inside a nearby tree trunk. As Lee went west to cause a distraction, Kiba and Akamaru lead the way to Tokage's hideout.

After a few minutes, they heard loud cracking sounds and numerous explosions; Lee's distraction. As Kiba slowed, they all hid and tried to conceal their chakras as the big one, Kenta, ran past, in Lee's direction. They found themselves at the mouth of a large cave in the side of a mountain.

Neji activated his Byakugan and looked deep down in the cave, recognizing Hinata and Tenten's familiar chakras. "They're in there, alright. Okay, I'm sure Tokage's expecting us, but he's only seen Shikamaru and I. So, Kiba and Akamaru and Asuma, you will use an invisibility jutsu to get to the girls and free them while we keep his attention. If we have any luck, the girls will still be able to fight. We aren't sure what those two have been doing to them, so be careful." They all nodded solemnly, all wanting to just get this over with and get their friends back.

Shikamaru and Neji were able to sneak in, but didn't go unnoticed. Luckily, it seemed the others were still undetected. "Well, well, well, what do we have hear? A little rescue party perhaps? No matter, I will destroy you this time."

He ran towards them, quickly because the cave was only about twenty feet wide and the ceiling only about a foot over their heads. They started fighting close combat, Tokage easily fighting both of them at once. Shikamaru hade an advantage, the shadows of the dark cave empowering him further to the point where Tokage had to fight harder to keep up with the both of them. Shikamaru took out a kunai, trying to get past Tokage's defenses, but they were held at a standoff, pushing away from each other.

They all caught there breath, but Shikamaru made a mistake and his eyes flickered over to the girls. Tokage caught this slip up and his long tongue shot out. It wrapped around Asuma's neck, forcing him to become visible. The air was forced out of his lungs as he was slammed against the wall.

Neji came out of his shock and charged Tokage again. But, he was ready and started fighting Neji again, while still strangling Asuma. Fortunately, he still hadn't seemed to notice Kiba and Akamaru, who had already untied Hinata and Sakura and was now working on Ino. All of the kunoichi were unconcious and scarred.

As Shikamaru finally came to his senses, he raced to join Neji. Before he could get there, something slammed into his side, throwing him into the wall to his left. He fell to the ground and looked to see a dent in the stone from his impact. "What a drag... Ow..." He looked again to see what had hit him, but was caught off guard by a strong uppercut to his ribs, a couple of which were cracking.

Kenta had come back when he had punched Lee so hard that he had flown a couple of miles into the forest. Lee was probably okay, just delayed, but his speed would get him there fast.

Shikamaru regained his footing and searched for a strategy while dodging many of Kenta's boulder-sized fists. He had no time to meditate, but he tried to think while his instinct took over. Kenta was very strong, but he was much faster. Kenta was also powerful, but Shikamaru was much smarter.

Then, Shikamaru remembered his power and could have kicked himself were he not already getting his butt kicked. He sidestepped the burly man and pushed him hard, causing him to hit his head on the ceiling and disorienting him and giving Shikamaru some time.

"Kage Nui!" Shikamaru's shadow started darting toward Kenta, armed with kunai and shuriken. The shadow began throwing them at Kenta as it closed in. Kenta began trying to dodge them or would just take some of them, since it would take even more force to pierce through his meaty skin. The shadow darted around Kenta, coming up his back and stabbing him through the chest with a kunai. The man staggered a bit, but eventually fell forward to his face. He wasn't dead yet, but he would be, soon.

Meanwhile, Asuma was starting to lose consciousness in Tokage's grip. Shikamaru saw this, but he was too far away to do anything. "Asuma!" Suddenly, a shuriken whipped through, slicing Tokage's tongue with a few feet left to spare. He howled in pain and what was left of his tongue came back into his mouth, blood pouring out.

They looked over to see that Kiba and Akamaru had woken up the kunoichi and Tenten had thrown the shuriken with perfect accuracy. A smirk pulled at Neji's lips. He was proud of Tenten.

Asuma was coughing and spluttering, a few drops of blood coming out of his mouth. He growled and shouted to Tokage, "So, you can't handle a few leaf ninja? I'm not surprised. It's only right that a mere Orochimaru knockoff like you can't handle what's coming to you."

Tokage's eyes blazed and he roared in anger. He made a few complex hand signs and roared again. Then, he started to transform. Long, yellow claws began to grow from his fingernails, jade scales spread across his skin. His clothes ripped as he grew in size, breaking the ceiling of the cave, making it much larger. As the clothes fell, they revealed a scaly chest and a tail breaking through his skin from his backside. Then, the skin from his face peeled away, until it ripped through, unveiling a large, dragon-like head with yellow, reptile eyes.

Shikamaru scowled at his former sensei. "You just had to provoke him, didn't you?" Asuma shrugged sheepishly and got ready to fight again. Tokage looked like a giant lizard. Shikamaru glanced over at Ino. She looked very tired, a scar running across the left side of her face, but she smirked at him through her pain. He smirked back, glad that she wasn't too hurt. The other girls were also up now, Sakura looking the worst, but they were all ready to fight.

Tokage roared again and swiped his large hand toward Asuma. He jumped out of the way and Tokage's hand broke through the cave wall, revealing the cold night. A small river ran under them, the current fast and the water black as the night. The full moon shone through and provided the ninja with more light.

They began separately attacking Tokage, looking for weak spots. He saw an opening and swiped his hand again. This time, his long claws caught Hinata in the back, sending her sprawling across the room with blood gushing from her back. Neji saw this and immediately ran toward her, but was sent backwards when Tokage's large tail smacked him in the chest.

"Hinata!" Kiba yelled. Akamaru growled along with his master, he was very fond of the young Hyuuga girl. When he was a puppy, she would play with him and give him treats behind Kiba's back. The large dog charged toward Tokage, raking his own claws down the monsters soft underbelly. The lizard roared, hitting Akamaru toward Hinata, who Kiba was with and trying to stop the bleeding. There were three long gashes running from below her neck to her left hip.

Sakura saw her opening and, though she was dead tired, scaled Tokage's back until she reached his head, ducking behind a small ear. The lizard roared and clawed at his head, only hurting himself more because he couldn't reach Sakura. "Sakura!" She couldn't tell who shouted, but it didn't matter. When Tokage had stopped scratching, she crawled across his now bloody head and stabbed her kunai right into his left eye.

Tokage roared in pain and bucked Sakura off his back, the wind knocked out of her as she hit the ground. The monster circled franticly and his tail whipped out. "No!" The tail caught Sakura as she tried to get up, whipping her right through the hole in the wall and into the raging waters below. "Sakura!" Ino was yelling. She ran over to the hole. She couldn't see the pink-haired kunoichi, not even the ripples in the water from where she fell.

Ino was ready to jump into the waters, but Shikamaru pulled her back into his arms. Tears streamed from her eyes and she pounded her fists into the shadow ninja's chest, but he just held her tighter. "Let me go! I need to find her! I need to-!"

"She's gone, Ino." He even further tightened his hold on her as she broke down into sobs.

Meanwhile, Tenten had seen Sakura's attempt and had thrown another kunai into Tokage's right eye. He had roared one last time, before falling and returning to his normal size. Asuma threw one last kunai threw his skull to ensure that he was dead. Then, a kunai raced toward Asuma. Tenten threw one last shuriken into Kenta's head before he was finally dead.

They looked over. Asuma had dodged the kunai, but not before it hit his leg, ripping through his pants, but only nicking his skin. It had also revealed his white and red polk-a-dotted boxers. A few of the others cracked a smile, but no one laughed as they usually would. There was too much to cry about.

They knew they had to get to Suna. It was closer than Konoha and would give them a place to recover. Lee had arrived, but cried buckets of tears when he heard about Sakura. Neji had hit him in the head and told him to calm down.

Kiba had loaded Hinata on the back of Akamaru. He had stopped the bleeding, but she had passed out from the pain. Tenten was too tired to travel, so Neji carried her on his back as she slept. Ino was also on Shikamaru's back. Her face was pressed into his neck, but he knew she wasn't sleeping. Her silence worried him.

They were silent as they traveled toward Suna, the Kiba only talking to inform them that they would be arriving in Suna in a couple of hours.

* * *

Sakura felt stone underneath her. Was she dead? No, she was in too much pain to be dead. Her ribs ached, her lungs burned, and her back throbbed from the scars she'd received.

She mustered just enough energy to open her eyes. She was below the night sky. Sakura took pleasure in seeing the stars again after being stuck in that cave.

The pain increased and she could feel herself losing consciousness again. Black rimmed her vision and the last thing she remembered before passing out was a tall figure looming over her.

Someone was watching her.

* * *

_Thank you all for reading! I hope this chapter made up for my long absence. Unfortunately, school starts on Tuesday. So, I would like to inform you all that I will be updating weekly, starting on Sunday. I hope you guys understand, but I promise that I'll make sure to keep updating. Please review! And thank you to all of you who are sticking with my story!_


	6. Recovery

_Hi! So, here it is! And I would like to tell you all that I've decided that Orochimaru is dead. I feel like he's just too much trouble. I know, crazy right? But Itachi is still alive. This chapter is mainly NaruHina, but I added in the other couples. Hope you like it!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters._

* * *

**Chapter 6: Recovery**

Naruto burst through Suna's hospital doors the next day.

He had never liked hospitals. The white of the walls and beds were too sterile, like they had been cleaned and bleached too many times. It reminded him of death. The death of his family, his friends, even people he didn't know. Right now, he just wanted to find one person.

Neji was also in the hospital. He was coming back from the cafeteria with a cinnamon roll for Hinata when Naruto rushed to him, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Where is she?" His voice was too loud for a hosptial, but he didn't care. He just had to see her.

Neji rolled his eyes and walked down the hall. "Come on."

Naruto followed him down several hallways before coming to a stop outside her door. "Here," Neji said and handed him the cinnamon roll. "You'll be her hero." Then, he walked down the hall. Tenten and Ino had also been kept overnight due to dehydration, malnourishment, and had to be treated for the burns that Tokage and Kenta had inflicted on them.

Naruto went right in and was relieved to see Hinata sitting up in her bed. Though she looked even paler than usual, she seemed okay. He smiled brightly at her and she blushed.

"I brought you something." Naruto sat on the edge of her bed, his hip touching hers and held out the cinnamon roll. A smile that he had never seen before lit up her face. It didn't show her teeth, but still made her seem even more beautiful to Naruto.

"You found one! Neji didn't think they would have any cinnamon rolls, since it has so much sugar and we're in a hospital." She snatched it out of his hand and took a big bite.

"You really like those, don't you?" Naruto asked her. Hinata realized how out of character she was being and blushed deeply, looking down at her sheets.

"Th-there my favorite." Hinata's voice turned quiet again. She cursed her stutter for deciding to come back at that moment. Hinata's shy demeanor returned and Naruto had decided that he had liked that other side of her. The happy, careless, and free side where she enjoyed the things she loved without thought.

Naruto also made a mental note to buy her cinnamon rolls more often, even though he hadn't bought this one. It's the thought that counts.

As she was finishing her cinnamon roll, Hinata sucked the remaining frosting off of her fingers and noticed Naruto staring at her. She blushed and started fiddling with the white sheet covering her legs. "What is it?" She asked quietly.

Naruto's gentle tone and soft eyes surprised her. "I'm just... I'm really glad to see that you're okay."

"The hell she's okay." The two looked to see Neji standing in the doorway to her room, his arms crossed over his chest.

Tears gathered in Hinata's eyes. "Neji, please-"

"He has a right to know. Show him, Hinata."

Naruto watched as she sighed deeply and peeled the covers off of her legs. He couldn't describe how he felt when he saw small burns scattering over her thighs and calves. They were only faint scars that you couldn't see unless you were really looking, but it made Naruto sick to his stomach all the same.

"That's not all," she said, her voice barely a whisper. She slid and leaned forward, so that her back was exposed to him. Then, she untied the back of her hospital gown and pulled it open enough for him to see the scars.

Naruto gasped. Three pale, puckered scars dragged from the base of her neck, down to her left hip. It wasn't hard for him to describe how he felt when he saw these scars. Rage. Pure rage. He could feel it rush through his body and shook with restraint. He faintly heard Hinata bursting into sobs when he excused himself and exited the hospital.

He ran to the nearest open space and roared at the top of his lungs. Naruto fell to his knees in the sandy earth and dug his hands into the ground. He cried out again, but this time it was in guilt. He should have been there. He should have protected her.

"Calm down, Naruto. You'll startle the whole village." Naruto's head snapped up and he growled at Neji. The Hyuuga rolled his eyes. "Your grand exit didn't do anything to help Hinata, you know. It just made her want to crawl back into the hole that she cowered in when we were kids."

"I should've been there. I should've protected her." Naruto hadn't even registered what Neji had said. "If I had been there-"

"What? What would have been different?" Neji was getting angry now and knowing his little cousin was lying in a hospital bed, crying her eyes out, was not helping his sour mood. "We should have protected her, but she got hurt. What makes you think that you could have seen that coming? There was nothing any of us could do. Now, stop wallowing in your unnecessary guilt and think of Hinata."

After a moment, he continued, "Do you know what she thought when you walked out like that? She thought you were disgusted. She thought that you hated her because of those ugly scars running down her back."

Naruto looked up at him in horror, still on his knees. "I never meant-"

"I don't care if you didn't mean it. It still hurt her like hell. Now, go back in there and fix it or I swear that, as soon as we get back to Konoha, I'll tell Tsunade that you stole all her sake before that Christmas party last year.

Naruto scrambled up and ran back to the hospital. When he finally got there, he found Hinata sniffling into a tissue as the last of her tears fell. When she saw Naruto, she turned away. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked at her, confused. "Why would you be sorry? I'm the baka."

Hinata ignored his comment and kept apologizing. "I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough. I let him get me and-"

"Hinata." Naruto grabbed her hand in both of his and started to stroke the back of hers with his thumb. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It wasn't your fault. And I'm sorry I stormed out like that. It wasn't because I was disgusted. I could never be disgusted with you, you're beautiful. I left because I... I couldn't stand looking at those scars. Looking at them and knowing that I could've been there, that I could've protected you."

Hinata was still blushing madly from when he had called her beautiful, though she could tell that he didn't realize he'd said it and that made it even more special. But then, she looked at him, confused. "Naruto-"

Naruto cut her off, knowing what she was gong to say. "How about we make a deal. I'll stop blaming myself if you stop blaming yourself." She gave him a small smile and nodded.

After that, they talked about a lot of random things. Naruto told her a few funny stories about the crazy things that his old team got into when Sasuke was still with them. Like, one time when Kakashi had insisted on giving Naruto and Sasuke 'the Talk' since they didn't have their parents to give it to them. It was the first time that Naruto had ever seen the young Uchiha blush. They had both laughed.

Hinata also told him a few things that happened at the Hyuuga compound when her father wasn't looking. Like, when Hanabi had hidden a small lamb she had found in her fathers dojo. Hiashi was very surprised when he had brought Hinata to train with him the next day.

They laughed together and both were pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they were becoming with each other. Though, Hinata still found herself blushing ridiculously whenever Naruto subconsciously gave her a compliment, but that was expected from her.

Then, Naruto looked at the clock above the door and saw that it was almost time for him to meet with Gaara. Hinata was kind of sad when he told her he had to leave, but Naruto was determined to change that.

"Hinata," he said and placed two fingers under her chin, bringing her eyes to his and making her blush once again. "Would you like me to bring you another cinnamon roll tomorrow?" She blushed again, but nodded and a smile came to her face. "You're pretty when you smile." They both blushed as he complimented her once again.

Then, there was a moment before he leaned over and kissed Hinata on the cheek. But, before she could react, he was out the door, shouting a 'See you tomorrow, Hinata-chan!' over his shoulder.

Hinata smiled brightly and fell back into her pillows. They were lumpy, hospital-issued pillows, but she couldn't care less. All of that talking had worn her out and she fell asleep with a soft smile on her face.

* * *

"Ino, you need to eat." Shikamaru was in Ino's hospital room. She hadn't eaten since they got back and he was getting even more worried. She hadn't spoken either. "Sakura wouldn't want you to starve yourself."

"How would _you_ know what she would want?! You barely even knew her!" Shikamaru wasn't fond with her tone towards him, but he figured a kicking and screaming Ino was better than a silent one.

"Then what would she want, Ino?! Would she want you to starve yourself sick? Would she want you to close off your friends? Would she want you to sit in a hospital all day without even letting the nurses help you? Killing yourself isn't going to bring her back, Ino!"

He knew the words would hurt her, but Shikamaru also knew that they were what she needed to hear. Tears streamed down her face. Her eyes were painfully clenched shut and her hands gripped the sheets. Shikamaru pulled her into his arms, but she stayed stone still.

"Wouldn't she want you to be happy, Ino-chan?" At that, she collapsed into tears and gripped Shikamaru by his jonin vest. He just sat there and held her.

It was a long time before Ino got a hold of herself and released Shikamaru from her grip. She looked at him with a small smile. "Thank you, Shika-kun. I needed that."

He just nodded and turned away. But, before he could stand up, Ino pulled him back over and kissed him right on the lips. It only lasted for a second and when she pulled back, Shikamaru looked incredibly shocked. Ino decided that it was a good look on him and giggled quietly.

She took his hand in hers and realized how large it looked holding her dainty one. "Sakura, before she... you know. She made me promise to do something and I... I should have done this a long time ago, but..."

"You're not gonna get all sappy on me, are you? Because that would be such a drag." Shikamaru was just joking with her, but his face remained stoic.

Ino was not happy with that and smacked him over the head. "I'm trying to be deep, you baka! I like you, okay?... I like you a lot."

A smirk appeared on Shikamaru's face. "Cool."

Ino's frown deepened as she stared him down. "_Cool_? That's all you have to say? I just professed my feelings for you and all you can say is-?"

Shikamaru cut her off with a searing kiss. She practically melted into him until she remembered what they had just been fighting about and pulled back. But, her insult stopped in it's tracks when she saw the smoldering look in his eyes.

"You're hot when you're angry." Then, he pulled her into another kiss.

* * *

"But Neji! I wanna train!" Tenten had been whining for hours and Neji wass willing to do anything to make it stop.

"You can't train. You're just beginning to recover from what was probably the most traumatic experiences of your life. You need to rest."

Neji pushed her back onto the bed once again, but she just sat back up. "Please, Neji! Just let me go do some target practice. It doesn't take that much energy and you can come and make sure I don't overdo it. Please?!" Tenten pouted and looked up at him with her big brown eyes.

Neji cursed himself. She didn't even need target practice. "...Fine."

Tenten jumped up and hugged him. Then, she kissed him on the cheek and left to get dressed. The Hyuuga blushed and went to wait for her in the hall, grumbling all the way.

* * *

_Did you like it! I just wanted a nice couple-y chapter. _

_For those of you excited about Sakura's situation, almost the whole next chapter will be dedicated to her. For you others wondering about how the fight with Akatsuki went, that will come in a later chapter. Maybe after the next one. Also, who's excited about Shikamaru breaking this to Temari? I am!_

_Remember, I'll be updating weekly on Sundays. So you can look forward to that in a week! Thank you for reading! Please review! And tune in next week!_


	7. Missing In Action

_Here it is guys! Thank you all for being so patient and waiting all week for this. I hope you like it! It's a treat for all you SasuSaku lovers!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters._

* * *

**Chapter 7: Missing In Action**

Sakura's eyelids fluttered, but didn't open.

She could hear several things around her. There was a bird chirping, a couple of bugs on her arms, and the crackling of a fire.

Sakura found her strength and her eyes snapped open. It was the dead of night. If there was a fire, then that meant that she wasn't alone. She snapped her head to look to the side and involuntarily whimpered. It was then that she realized that everything hurt.

Another whimper escaped her lips and this time, a voice answered. "Stop moving."

Sakura didn't listen and turned her head to the other side and saw Sasuke sitting on the opposite side of the fire, watching her.

Her eyes widened and she tries to sit up, to runaway. But that was a horrible mistake and she cried out, falling back again.

She heard Sasuke sigh and suddenly felt a warm hand on her upper arm. Sakura jerked away, crying out again. Then, the hand held her arm tighter as she struggled pathetically. A cool sensation went through her body as the pain started to subside.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke and watched him press certain spots on her arm, his hand strangely gentle.

He looked tired, Sakura noticed. Older, too. His hair had grown just past his shoulders and were held back with a loose ponytail that sat at the nape of his neck, his bangs hanging on either side of his face.

Bags lined Sasuke's eyes and he had an almost microscopic wrinkle forming above his eyebrows. His muscles had grown, but not too much that he couldn't move quickly. He wore a black shirt with the small collar upturned so that you could just see the top of his mouth, long black shorts, and standard ninja shoes.

Sakura met his onyx eyes and realized that he was staring at her, too. She had millions of questions, but didn't utter a word as they studied each other.

Then, Sasuke broke the silence with a quiet voice, deeper than when he left. "You should get some more rest."

With that, he set down her arm and walked back over to the fire. He grabbed a canteen that sat in a navy blue bag and came back over to her.

"Drink," he ordered, bringing the canteen to her lips. Sakura wasn't sure if she could trust him, but knew that if he had wanted to kill her, he would have done it by now. So, she drank the water, never taking her eyes off his tired face.

After a while, he gave her some fish to eat, but she could only eat two pieces before she felt like throwing up. Without the pain clouding her mind, Sakura noticed that she wasn't wearing any clothes beside her undergarments and was covered by only a thin blanket. She blushed and turned to Sasuke, who was back by the fire.

"Where are my clothes?" They were the first words that she had said since she had woken up and her voice came out hoarse and very quiet.

He looked over at her and pointed up where they were hanging on a branch near her head.

"I pulled you out of the river," Sasuke told her. "You were half dead and soaked. I had to take your clothes off so that you wouldn't freeze to death on top of all your other injuries." Sakura must have also been hallucinating, because she could swear she saw a tiny blush on the rouge ninja's cheeks.

A corner of her mouth twitched, but she couldn't really smile. "Thank you... Sasuke." They had both tensed. It was the first time that she had said his name to him in almost five years. Sakura would never admit it... but she had missed saying it when he was actually listening.

Sasuke just grunted in response and nodded, not looking at her. "You should sleep. We'll start traveling tomorrow."

She didn't say anything, but kept staring at him. It wasn't until later that he sighed and came to lie next to her, putting out the fire. He kept his distance, staying a few feet away from Sakura.

They lied in silence for a few moments, until she turned to him. "Why?" Why did you leave? Why haven't you come back? Sakura wondered all of this, but her question was obvious. Why did you save me?

Sasuke didn't answer, but she knew he was still awake. She sighed and fell asleep quickly.

* * *

The next day, they were running, Sakura on his back along with his bag.

They had been traveling for several hours and Sasuke knew that he had to stop and set up camp soon. Sakura wouldn't be able to stand much more running, even though she acted as if she was very capable of traveling, Sasuke could feel her struggling to keep her grip on his shoulders.

He remembered last night, when Sakura had said his name. He'd missed her, much more than he cared to say out loud.

As for her unanswered question... Sasuke wasn't exactly sure himself. But that was a lie. Sasuke knew exactly why he saved her. He owed her so much... even saving her life wouldn't be enough to repay her.

Sasuke saw a clearing below them and landed in it. He swung Sakura off his back, she was already falling back asleep. He laid down the blanket she had used the other night and gently laid her down onto it, where she curled up to sleep. The sight made the cold Uchiha feel slightly warmer inside.

She had changed back into her now dry clothes and snored so soft that he could barely hear it, but it was an endearing sound.

Sasuke didn't build a fire due to the heat and the sun was high in the sky anyway. He brushed some of his matted hair out of his eyes. It was far too long, but he just didn't have the time to cut it.

"I could cut it for you." He turned to see Sakura looking at him through sleepy eyes.

"You should be sleeping." Sasuke needed a haircut, but the kunoichi's health came before anything else.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Come here, Sasuke." Sakura was still tired, but she figured that this was the least she could do for him.

Sasuke went over and helped her sit up, then sat in front of her, handing her a sharp kunai. She gripped his hair by the ponytail and cut just above where the hair band was. The hair cam off with a soft ripping sound and Sakura laid the ponytail a few feet away.

Then, Sakura evened it out so that the backs just touched the top of his neck. "I can't do anything about the bangs, though. Is that alright?"

Sasuke grabbed her hand, which was still gripping the kunai, as it almost nicked his neck. They froze and Sasuke turned around to see her wide eyes. Her hand was cool instead of warm, showing that she wasn't fully healed from her run in with the river.

"Sakura..."

A large growl interrupted their moment and they turned to see a large mountain lion watching them from the trees.

Sasuke immediately pushed Sakura behind him. She was still much too weak to fight anything off. Sakura gripped the back of his shirt. She had never encountered one of these animals. She only goes on missions where she is desperately needed or stays in Konoha. This was new, but she wasn't scared, she was still disoriented and weak from her injuries and just waking up.

Sasuke could feel her hands gripping his shirt. He reached back and took her hands. He couldn't fight when she was holding him. This way, he could push her away if he needed to.

The beast growled again and leaped at them, but Sasuke was faster and jumped away, pulling Sakura with him. He had jumped up onto a tree branch and set Sakura down. "Stay here."

Sasuke then went back to the ground and tried to get the mountain lions attention. But, unfortunately, the beast was fully focused on Sakura's bright hair.

It leapt at her again and Sasuke had to think fast. He slammed into its side in midair, sending them both to the ground. Sasuke faintly heard Sakura scream his name, but then the lion was on top of him. It swiped at him and took a large chunk out of his shoulder. He cried out in pain and his vision began to blur.

Then, a kunai appeared in his hand. It was the one that Sakura had used to cut his hair. Sasuke grabbed it, not believing his luck, and stabbed the mountain lion in the heart. It went limp and fell on him, pushing the air out of Sasuke's lungs.

He struggled and pushed the carcass off of him. Then, he turned his head and saw Sakura limping toward him through his slightly blurry vision.

She fell to her knees next to him and tried to help him sit up. He heavily leaned against her, one of her hands laid on his chest, the other supporting his back.

Sakura took the kunai that was still in Sasuke's hand and cut away his shirt to reveal his shoulder. There was a large gash in the skin, but it didn't seem to do any permanent damage.

"Do you have any bandages?" Sasuke nodded and looked over at his bag. Sakura got the message and got two rolls of bandages. She also got anti-bacterial spray that was in his bag, but the liquid was almost gone.

Sakura helped him over to lean against a tree while she went to work. She had him bite a short branch as she sprayed the anti-bacterial on his wound. Then, she wrapped the bandages around his shoulder and started to heal him. Sakura only had enough energy so that Sasuke wouldn't need stitches, but it would still hurt if he moved it.

It was using a lot of her energy, but she had to help him any way she could. Eventually, she stopped and leaned against Sasuke's shoulder for support. Using the last of her strength, Sakura got the abandoned blanket and covered them with it, her tucked into Sasuke's side. After a while, they both fell asleep, neither having enough energy to do much else.

* * *

When Sakura finally woke up, she found herself on Sasuke's back again, the blanket tied around her shoulders.

He was running, one hand making sure she didn't fall and the other hanging limp from his shoulder wound. Sakura tapped him on the shoulder and he stopped under a low tree, setting her down and sitting next to her. Sweat was beginning to collect on his forehead.

Sakura took the blanket off and wiped his forehead with it. "You should be resting. Your shoulder isn't healed enough. I have some more energy now. Would you like me to-?"

"No." Sasuke cut her off. "Healing me drains you too much. I'll be fine, it won't bleed anymore, thanks to you. It's just kind of numb now." They just sat there, leaning against each other for a moment.

"Where are we going?" Sakura meant to ask before, but she trusted Sasuke and hadn't thought of it.

Sasuke sighed and she knew she wouldn't like the answer. "I'm taking you back to Konoha."

Sakura's breath left her lungs as if he had hit her, but he continued, not looking at her. "Itachi is still out there and I plan on killing him this time."

She was getting angry now. "So what, I'd just slow you down? I'm supposed to just leave you to possibly kill yourself? Why on earth-?"

"Shut up, Sakura." She did and looked to Sasuke, who looked away from her prodding eyes. "I can't let you come with me. If Itachi or anyone else found out how I feel about you... I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you."

Sakura gaped at him. Sasuke was never this open before. Or... was it just because he was talking to her?

"How _do_ you feel about me?"

Instead of answering her, Sasuke tipped her chin up and planted a soft kiss on her lips. It was very gentle and unlike Sasuke. Sakura was speechless as he pulled away. After so long without each other, it wa unbelievable how close they were now. Neither could really remember how it happened. Something just clicked inside of them.

They didn't say anything. They didn't need to.

* * *

Later, the two shinobi were just outside Konoha's gates.

"Be careful, okay? I don't want the next time I see you to be at your funeral."

Sasuke chuckled and pulled her close. "I will. Just stay in the village and be safe. Sakura... I don't expect you to wait for me. It might be a while before I can come back. And even if I do, they might not even let me come back into the village after all that I've done."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sasuke, I've been single for five years. Well, except for that disaster date with Lee-"

"_Rock Lee_?" Sasuke's eyes had narrowed and he held her tighter. Apparently, Sakura has learned that Sasuke is the jealous type, which seemed strange after she thought about it.

She rolled her eyes again. "_Anyways_, the point is that I've waited this long for _us_ to happen. I can wait a little longer."

With that, Sasuke kissed her once more on the lips and on her forehead and started running, not looking back.

_Stay in the village, _Sakura thought to herself. _Yeah, like that's gonna happen._

Sakura readied herself, and walked through Konoha's gates. What she didn't know is that she just happened to be walking straight into the middle of her own funeral. Literally.

* * *

_Did you like it? Please review! Remember, Itachi's alive and Orochimaru isn't. Just a reminder. I really hope that this was long enough for you. I feel like my chapters haven't been long enough lately. Please tell me if they aren't! Thank you all for reading! The next update will be in a week!_


	8. Aftermath

_Hello, fellow fanfictioners! I hope this chapter is enough. This one was kind of slow, but don't worry! I'll speed it up in a bit! I hope you like it!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters._

* * *

**Chapter 8: Aftermath**

Ino stood in front of the group, Shikamaru's arms wrapped around her. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she never let any of them fall. She wouldn't cry anymore.

Ino could tell that Shikamaru was worried about her. After they had gotten together that day in the hospital, he hadn't left her side except to get her food. She had been released a few days ago.

When Shikamaru had visited her in the hospital that day, it had been great.

She had woken up to him sleeping in the chair next to her bed, her forearm acting as his pillow. He just fell asleep there after they kissed, both of them deciding that it was much too early in their relationship to go _that_ far already. Ino giggled and poked his forehead. His face scrunched up and she couldn't help but laugh.

Her laughter had woken up Shikamaru, who scowled at her. "What's so funny, huh?" Ino just giggled and shook her head. "You won't tell me? Then I'm just going to have to force it out of you."

Then, Shikamaru lunged and captured her in his embrace, his fingers dancing across her toned stomach.

"Ah! Shikamaru stop!" Ino forced the words out through her laughter she squirmed and tears were coming out of her eyes from giggling so hard.

"Tell me why you were laughing!" He almost had to shout over her laughter. But a flash of pain hit his side and he pulled away to sit back in the chair. He glared and rubbed his side as she smiled. She had punched him.

Ino shrugged, a smirk on her lips. "I told you to stop."

After a few moments, Ino broke the comfortable silence with a soft smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"No. You're snoring kept waking me up." Shikamaru's face was blank, but his lip twitched when Ino's smile disappeared.

"I do _not_ snore!" She scowled at him.

"Oh, yes you do."

This time Ino just crossed her arms and looked away. After a few moments, the bed dipped as Shikamaru sat next to her.

He put his arm around her shoulders as Ino's anger began to dissipate. She snuggled into his side and closed her eyes.

"Don't worry," Shikamaru said. Ino looked up at him. "It's a cute snore."

She swatted his chest as they laughed and gave him a chaste kiss. Then, she sat up slightly and fiddled with her bed sheets. Shikamaru frowned at her curiously.

"So... are we, like, you know... together now?" She asked him, not looking back.

He sat up and wrapped both arms around her, whispering in her ear. "Only if you want us to be."

With that, Ino turned and gave him a soft kiss, smiling. "So, Boyfriend," she said. "When do you think they'll let me out of this joint?"

Now, almost a week later, they stood in front of the small group at Sakura's funeral. They had sent a few search parties out, even Kakashi had looked, but there was no trace. They could only assume that she had drowned and been swept away by current of the river.

They were back in Konoha, but the ninja that had been on the Akatsuki mission had also come back in time. Unfortunately, Ino thought, that means that even Temari and Gaara had come. Gaara had also brought Matsuri, his girlfriend and Ino really liked her, but Gaara was also very protective and almost wouldn't let her out of his sight.

Thankfully, Temari finally got the hint and let Ino and Shikamaru be together, but that didn't stop her from flirting with him every time she had the chance.

As the priest began the ceremony, Ino clutched her boyfriend's hand tightly, willing herself not to cry.

A few feet away, Naruto stood next to Hinata and held her hand. They weren't together, but they both needed the support.

_**"Hey, Kit! Get in here. I need to talk to you."**_

The Kyuubi had crappy timing, Naruto thought. _I'm busy, _he thought_, just tell me from in there._

_**"It's about your mate. I know who she is."**_

Then Naruto stilled and Hinata noticed. "Naruto?" She asked quietly, but he didn't answer.

"_**That's her, alright. I can sense her chakra through your hand.**_

Hinata was his mate? Naruto was shocked. A delicate hand on his shoulder broke him from his reverie.

"Are you okay?" Naruto looked over to Hinata's violet eyes and saw tears in them. Sakura had bonded with the Hyuuga over the years and Naruto knew this was hard for her.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "I'm fine, Hina-chan."

Then, tears splashed onto his black jacket and Naruto let his mate cry silently into his shoulder.

Asuma stood with Kurenai off to the side. Neither had personally known Sakura, but they had met her and she was such a nice girl. Not to mention the affect that her death had on their former students.

Asuma had his arms around her, his hands on her swollen belly. He was glad to be back, even under the circumstances. Asuma had been afraid to miss his child's birth, since his wife was due any day now.

Then, Kurenai had been staring into space when something caught her eye. "It can't be." She muttered to herself. She pulled away from Asuma.

"Kurenai, what-?"

"Sakura?"

* * *

"What do you mean you don't remember? How do you not remember?! You're making no sense!?"

The group of shinobi had moved into the Hokage's office. After Kurenai had seen Sakura, there had been chaos. Most of which was Ino freaking out. Eventually, they had calmed the situation somewhat and taken the reunion to a more private place.

Unfortunately, Ino was still freaking out. Meanwhile, Shikamaru was holding her back. He wasn't sure if Ino wanted to hug Sakura or strangle her, so he figured it would be better to be safe than sorry.

"I'm sorry, Ino. I just don't remember. All I do remember is falling into the river. The next thing I knew, I was lying outside of the village gates." Sakura thought that it was better if they didn't know about Sasuke just yet.

Tenten and Neji sat close by, but they stayed silent.

But, Kakashi could always tell when she was lying. She would start to fidget and a muscle in her neck would twitch. He wanted to ask her about it, but he would wait until later. For now, he just looked her over lazily.

Hinata sat next to Sakura, so happy that her friend was back. Naruto sat on Hinata's other side. "Sakura," Hinata asked, "Are you sure that's all you remember?"

Sakura nodded her head and turned back to Ino, who had stopped fighting Shikamaru and had tears welling up in her eyes. Sakura had just opened up her arms when Ino flung herself into them, crying hysterically.

"Damn you, Forehead! You scared me to death! And now you're messing up all my makeup..." Ino's rant dissolved into sobs and Sakura handed her back to Shikamaru, who sighed and grumbled about 'his troublesome woman'.

Just then, Kurenai doubled over in pain and Asuma was immediately at her side. "What's wrong?"

Kurenai couldn't answer and sweat began to bead on her brow. She cried out from the pain and saw darkness at the edges of her vision. Her hand clutched her stomach.

* * *

"Okay, here for Kurenai?" The doctor asked. The shinobi all stood up and the doctor's eyes widened.

Asuma stepped up. "I'm her husband. What's wrong? Is the baby okay?"

The doctor checked her clipboard. "Well, everything seems to be alright. It was just some false contractions. Completely harmless. Though, she is very worn out and they do cause intense pain for a few moments. You all can come see her, but she should probably stay here until the baby comes."

Without allowing questions, the doctor started leading them to Kurenai's room in the maternity wing.

After a series of twists and turns, Asuma found his wife sitting up in a hospital bed, pouting with her arms crossed over her protruding belly.

"Why must I stay here? You said I was fine!" She was also shouting at a very scared looking nurse.

"S-sorry, Miss. You must stay at the hospital until y-your baby arrives." The nurse shrunk away from the pregnant kunoichi. As the doctor entered the room, the nurse sighed in relief and hurried out the door.

Asuma sat next to Kurenai on her bed. "Aw. You didn't have to scare the girl."

Kurenai just grumbled something and glared at him. He just smiled cheekily and kissed her on the cheek.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well, since we have that mess cleared up, I'm going to get some shuteye. Night." Then he was gone in a puff of smoke in true Kakashi fashion. Kurenai rolled her eyes.

After a awkward moment, Tenten broke the silence. "So, have you guys thought of names yet?"

At that, Asuma smirked and winked at Kurenai, who just rolled her eyes at him.

"Well," he said, "Since we wanted to be surprised, for a girl we were thinking Misaki. For a boy, Kenji."

Kurenai snorted. "Yes, if it's a boy I'm hoping that he'll be smarter than his father." Everyone laughed, except for Asuma, who pouted.

"That's not funny." He sounded like a little kid, but Kurenai loved him either way.

Across the room, Hinata looked over to see Naruto staring at her shamelessly.

Hinata blushed. "Is something wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto seemed to break out of whatever trance he was in. He just smiled and shook his head.

As the others made conversation, Naruto turned back to Hinata. "Hinata, would you like to do that training session that I promised you?"

The Hyuuga wracked her brain to remember something about a training session. Then she remembered. The day they had gotten the mission, Naruto had asked her to train with him. It seemed so long ago, but in reality, it had only been a week. And so much has changed, she thought.

"Hinata?" Hinata noticed that Naruto was still waiting for her answer. She blushed furiously and nodded.

As Naruto and Hinata excused themselves, Ino and Shikamaru also left and started walking toward the hill where Shikamaru did his cloud watching.

Unfortunately, when they were close enough, the pair spotted Temari, no doubt waiting for Shikamaru.

Ino's eyes narrowed and she growled. "Who the hell does she think she is?"

Shikamaru grabbed her hand and held her back. "Let me handle this, Ino." At her look, he continued. "Just wait here, okay?"

Ino rolled her eyes, but nodded and watched warily as her boyfriend approached the hill. The truth was that Ino was worried. She was worried that Shikamaru would change his mind and go to Temari instead of her.

"What are you doing here, Temari?" Shikamaru asked as he approached the sand kunoichi.

Temari brightened. "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go do something together. You know, because you haven't really hung out with me at all since I got here."

The shadow ninja sighed. "Temari, you know I'm with Ino now. You need to give up on this troublesome crush."

Temari's expression darkened and her gaze flickered over Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Remember when we used to talk, Shika-kun? Didn't you always say that Ino was so bossy and whiny? And that she was a pain in your ass? Oh, I remember you going on and on about how she wouldn't shut her-"

"It's different now, Temari. I'm with her and I don't want to be with you or anyone else. So, stop being such a pain and move on."

With that, Shikamaru turned and began to walk back to Ino. Suddenly, he was jerked around and Temari pressed her lips to his. Just as soon as it began, Temari was dragged off by her hair, Ino seeing everything.

"Get your grubby hands off my boyfriend!" She let go of Temari's hair and punched her in the face.

Later, Shikamaru sat in Ino's house, applying a bandage to a cut on her forehead.

"I can't believe she kissed you! The witch! You should have let me hurt her some more."

Shikamaru chuckled at his girlfriend's pout. "Ino, if I had let you hurt her anymore, you'd be arrested."

A smirk appeared on the kunoichi's face. "I did get her pretty good, didn't I?"

"Sure you did. And frankly, it turned me on."

Ino blushed and glared daggers at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru! Do me a favor and keep your dirty thoughts to yourself!"

Shikamaru just smirked.

Not too far away from Konoha, another evil sat and waited. He was waiting for just the right moment. When that moment came, he swore that everyone would suffer for the pain they'd caused him.

"When will it be time, Uncle? I think we've waited long enough."

The man turned to the doorway, where the one and only Itachi Uchiha stood, glaring at him from behind his collar.

"Soon, my nephew. Very soon"

* * *

_Ah! Hey guys! I hope there wasn't too much jumping around. I feel like my words just don't get written the way I want them to. Well, I hope you guys liked it! I know it seemed kind of slow in the beginning, but I hope that it satisfied all of your reading needs. _

_And, in case you guys were confused, Ino and Shikamaru did not do anything dirty in the hospital. I got a review about that and I was like 'Whoa Nelly! That is so not what I meant!' And I know that it might seem like more of a ShikaIno story right now, but I assure you that there will be more NaruHina on the way! Review please! And see you all next Sunday! Well, actually not, but you get what I mean._


	9. Confessions

_Hello! I hope you all like this one. This is a chapter totally and completely dedicated to NaruHina for all of you poor NaruHina-deprived fans. I really hope that this will put some perspective into the story. But, I also had a really hard time with it, because it was so serious. I'm not good with serious, so I hope it's good anyways._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters._

* * *

**Chapter 9: Confessions**

"Naruto, I tought we were going to train." Hinata winced at the whiny tone of her voice.

Naruto laughed. "Don't worry Hina-chan. I think you'll like where we're going." Hinata blushed at his nickname for her. "Just keep your eyes closed."

Hinata felt his strong, rough, warm hand holding both of hers as he led her to the unknown, her feet feeling the transition from hard stone to soft grass as they left the village streets. But, she wasn't worried, of course. She trusted him with her life.

Suddenly, she crashed into Naruto's back, letting out a very attractive 'Oomph!' Hinata felt him let go of her hands and steady her, grabbing her upper arms, She didn't dare open her eyes, already knowing that face was the shade of a very ripe apple.

"Sorry about that, Hinata. Guess I should have warned you we were stopping." Then, he let go of her shoulders and took one of her hands. "Alright, you can open your eyes."

Hinata was hesitant, but she knew she was safe. She was with Naruto. That always meant she would be safe. So, she opened her eyes and what she saw left her breathless.

All around her, small candles were set up in a ring, lighting up the small space. At first, she thought Naruto had brought her into a cave. But then, she lifted a delicate hand to touch the rough wall beside her. She wasn't in a cave, but a very large , hollowed out tree. Her hand was slightly sticky as she pulled it back to her side, some tree sap from the bark.

In the middle of it all, there was a cotton picnic blanket spread out. On it were two plates and a picnic basket. Hinata noticed Naruto as he began taking food out of the basket, two canteens with juice in them, two plain cheese sandwiches, a bowl of ripe cherries, and two big cinnamon rolls. Hinata blushed. He had remembered, she thought, a blush dusting her cheeks.

"Oh, Naruto! What is all of this? It's beautiful!" Her voice was still a little breathless, but she was sure that Naruto heard her, loud and clear.

Hinata could faintly see a blush on his tan cheeks as he spoke, surprisingly, very softly. "Um, I found this place when I was little. I was feeling pretty sad, so I went exploring. I found this. It made me so happy to know that I had a place all to myself, that nobody knew about. So, I started to come here all the time. Now... I wanted to share it with you."

Tears gathered in Hinata's eyes at the deep meaning of this place to Naruto. She also remembered when they were little and nobody wanted to be with Naruto. He was shunned by the village and she would always see him by himself, sometimes crying.

Hinata realized that Naruto was waiting for her to sit down and blushed, sitting across from him and tucking her legs behind her. "I always regretted that, you know."

Her voice had startled them both, breaking through the silence. "I would always see you around the village. You looked so sad and lonely. I was just so shy back then. I've always regretted not being brave enough to talk to you, to let you know that you weren't alone."

Naruto laid his hand on hers. She had been fidgeting with the edge of the blanket, knowing her face was flushed with embarrassment. Hinata looked up to see him looking at her with a strange glint in his eye, but she couldn't determine what it was.

He let out a shuttering breath. "Let's not think about that right now. Let's think about how we're sitting in the middle of a tree and eating a very delicious dinner, if I do say so myself. Are you hungry?"

Hinata nodded. Then, as she picked up her sandwich, the Hyuuga let out a tinkling laugh. Naruto arched an eyebrow at her, but smiled at the sound of her laugh. "What?" He asked.

She looked up at him, feeling a little mischievous. "No ramen?" She laughed a little more as he blushed and chuckled with her. Soon, they had fallen on their sides, tears forming in their eyes, as their small chuckles escalated into full-blown laughter. It took a few moments before their chortles faded. Hinata couldn't remember ever laughing like that, and at the smallest, silliest thing, too.

Hinata looked at Naruto once they had regained control over themselves, only a few giggles spouting out once and a while. "So, when did you find the time to set this all up?"

Naruto blushed again. "Well, the candles and everything were set up by an ANBU that owed me a favor. I saved his life on a mission once and he was able to set this up. I grabbed the picnic basket on our way here. Now, let's eat up before your precious cinnamon rolls spoil." He chuckled as she blushed once again.

They sat in a comfortable silence as they ate their food. Hinata noticed that Naruto was eating much slower than he normal would. Every once in a while, she would catch him glancing over at her. All the attention was making her nervous, but she found that she wasn't blushing anymore. She felt comfortable with Naruto. Then, she glanced at him. He looked almost... nervous?

"Would you like your cinnamon roll, Hinata?" She looked up to see him holding one of the doughy treats out for her to take. Hinata greedily accepted it and practically inhaled the sugary pastry. Naruto laughed at her eagerness and she laughed, too.

"Hinata?" The young Hyuuga looked up as she finished her cinnamon roll and saw that Naruto had that strange glint in his eye once again. He fidgeted with the edge of the blanket.

Suddenly, Hinata felt sick to her stomach. But she hid it, know what Naruto was going to say was important. Her voice was gentle as she spoke to him. "What is it, Naruto?"

He looked up at her then and took her hands in both of his. She blushed at the contact, but listened intently as Naruto took a deep breath. "There is something really important to tell you, Hinata. But, I'll understand if you don't want to see me again afterwards."

Hinata gave him a puzzled look and opened her mouth to question him, but he continued. "I don't know when I started feeling this way, but I know now that it's something that I've never felt before. Okay, this is gonna be really sappy. So, brace yourself, okay."

She smiled at his attempt to lighten the serious mood that had come over them. She spoke before he had a chance to continue. "What is this all about, Naruto?"

He chuckled at her eagerness and she blushed. "If you'd let me continue, I was getting to that part. I... I just need you to know that... I like you. I like you a lot and... I was hoping you'd be my girlfriend. I- um... that is if you want to."

He had let go of one of her hands to rub the back of his neck nervously. Hinata couldn't believe what she was hearing. All this time, she had felt so deeply for Naruto, but now, her dreams were becoming a reality. Without thinking, Hinata launched herself into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a soft kiss on his lips, pulling back before his shocked mind could figure out how to respond.

Naruto chuckled as she blushed furiously, completely shocked at what she had done. Hinata had no idea what had triggered her boldness... but she kind of liked how it had felt.

"So, I take that as a yes?" Hinata blushed even more and meekly nodded her head, not looking at him. Naruto gently took her chin in his hand and tipped her face toward his. Then, he kissed her. Long and deep. By the time they pulled away, they were both breathing heavily, their foreheads touching, and both grinning idiotically.

"Um- I... I think I should be getting home." Naruto took her hand again as she began to pull away, keeping her in place. "I-Is there something else, Naruto?" If possible, the shinobi looked even more nervous than he had before.

"Hinata, there's more. Just know that this has nothing to do with influencing how I feel about you. I... A little while ago, I was talking to the Kyuubi. He told me that... that people like me fall in love differently than others. Once we fall in love... We only fall in love once, to one person. It's like... fate."

Hinata was beginning to sweat and her stomach felt worse, but Naruto didn't notice, thankfully. She tried to keep her mind focused on Naruto. "So... is that what you think I am? Your..."

"Mate." He blushed as he said it, noting that it sounded completely inappropriate for what he was feeling. "Well, that's what the Kyuubi called it... I'm really not sure if I'm if love with you, Hinata. But... I know that it's very close."

Hinata knew that she loved him, but she would wait until he was ready. They kissed once more, before Hinata couldn't take it anymore.

"Hinata!" She faintly heard Naruto screaming her name before she blacked out, pitching forward into his arms.

* * *

"Have you found anything out yet?"

Naruto looked up as his friends entered the room and silently shook his head. Tenten followed Neji as he went to find a nurse to see what was happening with his little cousin. The others -Tsunade, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Gaara, Kiba and Akamaru, and Shino- had all arrived as soon as they heard what had happened.

Naruto wasn't sure what had happened himself. One minute, he had been in a state of bliss, kissing his new girlfriend. Then, she was passing out in his arms, her back becoming wet. He had turned her over and taken off her jacket, trying to find out what was wrong. He was terrified.

On her back, the three scar she had gotten from Tokage were even more puckered up from the skin than before and were beginning to turn a sickly green color. Naruto had immediately run back to the village, taking her to the hospital and calling their friends.

They hadn't heard anything and it would be a while before they would. Neji came back and Naruto faintly heard him announcing that they couldn't tell him anything because he wasn't direct family. Tsunade was calling Hiashi Hyuuga at the moment and it sounded like he didn't care. Not about his own daughter.

Naruto felt his fists tighten. Though Hinata, Neji, and even Hanabi had grown close over the years, Hiashi Hyuuga had simply refused to associate himself with his own family, except Hanabi. But that was only to train her for head of the clan. Hanabi was able to sneak away from time to time to see her sister and cousin, but since she was named heir to the clan instead of Hinata, Hiashi had kept her on a short leash. Naruto didn't even want to think about what Hiashi would do if he found out that she had disobeyed him.

"Neji!" Speaking of Hanabi. Naruto watched as she ran through the door and into Neji's arms, startling him.

"Hanabi? What are you doing here?" Neji pulled away from her as she stood up straight.

"I had to sneak away, Neji! Father had forbidden me from seeing Onee-san as soon as we found out she was hurt. I want to see her, Neji! Where is she?"

Hanabi was frantic as Neji sat her down. "We don't know anything yet, Hanabi. Naruto brought her in a while ago-"

"Naruto!" Hanabi saw him and ran into his arms. It was strange, because Naruto hadn't really known her that long, but he needed a good hug. Hinata had introduced them once when Hanabi had snuck out to visit her in the hospital. She had warmed up to him immediately, knowing exactly who he was by the way Hinata always spoke of him. She had told him that she felt like they were best friends already.

"What happened to Onee-san, Naruto? Was she hurt? Are you hurt?" Naruto stopped the frantic Hanabi before she could worry herself sick.

"I'm fine, Hanabi. I'm actually not really sure what happened, but it has something to do with the scars on her back." He tried to reassure her.

Hanabi sighed sadly. "Okay. But I don't want to leave until I get to see her. Naruto... can I stay? If Father comes looking for me..."

Tsunade spoke up, "We'll convince him to let you stay somehow."

Naruto studied Hanabi as she thanked the Hokage. The young girl was around 14 now and had grown to be just a few inches shorter than her sister. She looked a lot like Hinata, but was even a little bit thinner and didn't have any bangs, but still had a few pieces of hair that wouldn't stay out of her face. Unsurprisingly, Kurenai was her sensei, but the women had been replaced while on maternity leave. When Hanabi wasn't in school, her father trained her. It was only when he had a meeting or clan business when she had time to herself, or to sneak out.

"Hinata Hyuuga?" Each shinobi stood up when Doctor Ishima walked in. She had been the doctor who had worked on the girls when they had come in the first time.

"Hello again everyone. I'm afraid Hinata may have to stay here for a while."

Naruto pulled Hanabi into his side for comfort as the doctor explained Hinata's situation.

* * *

_Did ya like it? Did ya? Did ya? I hope you all did! And thank you SO much for being so supportive and patient with my writing. I really appreciate it! Did you like Hanabi in this chapter? And you know how when all the other ninjas were in the academy and everyone had crushes and drama and all that jazz? Let's just say Hanabi's no exception! You'll all find out what I mean in the next chapter!_

_And, I might be a little late on Sunday, so don't be disappointed if I don't put the chapter up right away. I hope you liked it! Please review!_


	10. Complications

_It's finally done! I hope you like it! Sorry about the time. I was gone all weekend until now. I really hope you guys aren't getting bored. I've been trying to speed it up, but it feels so rushed sometimes. Sorry! I really hope you like it!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, except for my own._

* * *

**Chapter 10: Complications**

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

Hinata looked up as Naruto walked into the room, Hanabi in tow. Hinata was surprised to see her sister, knowing that her father would have never given her permission.

She shook her head and gave the two a weak smile. "I feel better. Just a little tired."

Doctor had told her what was happening when she had woken up. Tokage's claws contained a deadly venom, which was deposited into her bloodstream when she was slashed. Now, the venom was finally taking affect and she would need luck on her side to get through it.

"Hanabi, does Father know you're here?" She looked at her sister as she shook her head. Hinata sighed.

Naruto seemed to sense the family moment occurring and planted a soft kiss on Hinata's forehead. "I'll go see what they have for food."

After he left, Hinata turned and gave her sister a pointed look.

Hanabi sighed. "I had to come see you, Hinata! I was worried and Father told me you were in the hospital and-"

"It's okay, Hanabi," Hinata cut her sister off and sighed again. "Let's not talk about that right now. I haven't been able to just talk to you for a while. How's the academy?"

Hanabi jumped at the change in subject and started to rave about her recent lessons and how it was so boring without Kurenai there. Hinata laughed at her sister's ranting.

Then, there was a boy. Hinata knew better than anyone how that went.

"I swear, it's like his life goal to torture me. The other day, I was meditating with Yuki by the streamand it was wonderful. I felt like I had almost reached my center of focus when I can really learn and figure things out. Then, guess who sneaks up behind me? Rin! If that wasn't enough, he pushed me into the water! Ugh, I can't stand him."

Hinata smiled knowingly. "So... is he cute?"

Hanabi blanched and gaped at her, trying to process the question. "W-what?"

A tinkling laugh escaped Hinata's lips, though it almost triggered a cough. "I asked, do you think Rin is cute?"

Hanabi's mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't seem to find any words.

"Alright, let's start with something simpler. What does he look like?" Hinata knew that Hanabi had probably never thought of the boy that way. The older Hyuuga had heard some stories about Rin from her sister, but had never actually met him.

"W-well," Hanabi started when she seemed to get her voice back. "He's a few inches taller than me. He's pretty tan, but not as tan as Naruto. He has dark red hair that stops at about his neck, but he keeps it tied up at the back of his head with a few bangs falling over his forehead protector. Um, he has dark brown eyes, too. As for his personality, there isn't much."

"He's arrogant, over-confident and selfish. He's always trying to push my buttons and ruin my concentration. Do you know what he said to me the other day? That I should 'loosen up' and 'have some fun for a change'. Ugh! He's just annoying."

Hinata looked at her curiously and urged her on. "But..."

Hanabi sighed. "But... when it comes down to it... He can be caring, smart... and even a good friend..."

"Hmm..." Hinata studied her sister. The far-off look in her eyes, the small smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. Yup, it was going to happen soon enough."Oh!" Hanabi suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot, I was supposed to meet Yuki for training. I'm sorry, Hinata. I have to go. I'll visit you soon. Love you!"

As Hanabi's voice faded, Naruto walked into the room.

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "Well Naruto, it sure took you an _awful_ long time to find any food. Why is that?"

He smiled sheepishly and sat in the chair by her head, taking her hand. "I thought it would be nice for you to have some time alone with your sister after everything you've been through."

She smiled at him as he kissed the back of her hand. "Thank you. That was very sweet."

Naruto smiled, too, and brought a paper bag that she hadn't noticed onto the bed, pulling out a big cinnamon roll. Of course, Hinata brightened.

After she finished, Hinata turned back to him and laughed a little. "Okay," she told him. "New rule. From now on, cinnamon rolls are only for special occasions. Otherwise, you're going to make me fat."

They had another laugh. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over Hinata and she laid back against her pillows.

She felt Naruto pace a kiss on her forehead. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Then, she was whisked away to dreamland.

* * *

Naruto was just leaving the hospital when Neji was entering.

He stopped that Hyuuga. "Hinata just fell asleep."

Neji sighed and rubbed his hands over his face anxiously. "I was going to speak with her about her father. Hiashi heard about you two and is demanding her presence."

"What? But we only got together a few hours ago! How could he know already?" Naruto exclaimed.

Neji sighed again. "You'd be surprised at how fest the rumors are spread. Hiashi found out about a half hour ago and is threatening to banish Hinata if she doesn't explain herself by this afternoon."

"So, he expects her to show up and talk to him? But she's in the hospital! She can't go all the way to the compound!" Naruto didn't understand how Hiashi Hyuuga could put the image of his clan over the safety of his daughter.

Hiashi still despised Naruto, even after his heroics. He especially hated that his daughter would rather be with a 'monstrosity' like him than train to be a great clan leader. Now that they were together, Naruto was sure that Hiashi would take it out on her.

Now that he thought about it, Naruto had almost sealed Hinata's fate. When she was determined as his mate, she was bound to him forever. Forever meant marriage, eventually. And if Hinata married outside of her clan, she would be punished. If she married him, especially, it would most likely mean banishment.

Naruto felt guilty. He was tearing her away from her clan, her family. Then, he realized that she had known that.

People have always told him that Hinata liked him- loved him, even. If she loved him, that meant that she had always known what would happen if he would overcome his obliviousness. And she loved him anyway. Naruto decided that, since she had given so much up for him, it was time to return the favor.

The blond finally turned to Neji.

"I would like to request an audience with Hiashi Hyuuga."

* * *

Since Sakura was in the hospital, she had gone to check on Kurenai.

"Seriously, it's not like sitting in here is going to make the baby pop out of me. There's no reason that- Oh!"

Sakura helped Kurenai sit up and Asuma stood.

"Alright, Asuma. Make yourself useful and help me to the bathroom."

Sakura giggled as the pair schlepped out the door, Kurenai grumbling, "Damned kid thinks my bladder's a punching bag."

When they were gone, Sakura decided to make the bed. Though, her mind was on Sasuke. She was terribly worried about him. Of course, Sakura knew that he could take care of himself, but that didn't mean that Sasuke wouldn't be stupid and get himself into trouble.

"Sakura?" The kunoichi looked toward the door to find Tsunade looking at her curiously. "What are you doing here? I thought you went home?"

Sakura smiled at the Hokage. "Well, I thought since I was here, that I would visit Kurenai and see how she's doing?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "And how _is_ she doing?"

Sakura giggled, remembering the odd couple heading toward the bathroom. "Well, let's just say that I'm pretty sure that the kid is ready to come out soon."

The Hokage smiled. "Good. Also, I have a favor to ask of you. There's a kunoichi coming from Kirigakure to negotiate some matters with me. Would you mind meating her at the gate and keeping her company until we meet?"

Sakura nodded and Tsunade left hastily, thanking her. So, Sakura thought, the Village Hidden in the Mist? She wondered what sort of matters that need to be discussed.

Since she had about an hour before the kunoichi arrived, Sakura decided to go home and tidy things up, she had only been there a few days and had only been home once for about ten minutes before Hianata had gone to the hospital.

As she walked into her apartment, Sakura noticed that things were even messier than when she left. Then, she heard a thump from inside one of the rooms and pulled out a kunai. Someone was in her home.

Sakura carefully waded through the mess, heading toward the noise. Her coffee table was flipped over and her books were strewn over the floor. She walked over to her bedroom and flung the door open, revealing nothing, except a lone animal that seemed to have climbed in through an open window. Sakura sagged in relief, but then remembered something. She hadn't left a window open.

Sakura immediately began to take inventory. After spending a while sifting through her things, Sakura found that nothing had been taken, except for a picture that had sat in one of her ornate frames. She wracked her brain, trying to remember what picture had been there.

Then, she remembered. The picture had been taken when she had just been assigned to Team 7 in the academy. It was of her, Naruto, and Sasuke.

Why would they take a picture? Of course, she thought. It was a picture with Sasuke.

Sakura immediately left her apartment, heading toward the Hokage's tower to tell her what had happened.

"Sakura! Help!"

She turned to see Kiba racing toward her. In his arms was a girl with long white-blonde hair and a Mist symbol on her forehead protector. There were also several shuriken protruding from her stomach.

* * *

"Alright, you can come in," Dr. Ishima told them.

Sakura, Kiba, and Tsunade went into the room holding the girl. They each sat down as the girl slept and Kiba explained what happened.

He took a deep breath. "I was out for a run with Akamaru when I smelled an unfamiliar person traveling toward the village. So, I followed her. But, she had sensed me and led me in circles until she cornered me. At first, I thought she was a threat, but she just laughed and told me not to underestimate my prey."

"After, she told me her name was Ichi and she was coming to Konoha to talk to Tsunade-sama. So, I offered to escort her here. After a while, we were talking and weren't paying attention. Then, out of nowhere, there's suddenly some shuriken in her stomach and she fell into my arms. I have no idea where they came from. I sent Akamaru to track down where they came from and brought her here. He's outside the hospital now. He didn't find anything. I can't believe I didn't sense or smell _anything_!"

Sakura watched as Kiba lowered his head into his hands, no doubt blaming himself over the girl's injuries. She looked over at Tsunade. "What was she coming to talk to you about, Tsunade-sama?"

The Hokage sighed. "Well, this is Ichi Himinaru. She was coming to talk to me about how she might be able to help us prepare for some upcoming battles."

Then, a sorrowful look crossed her face. "Konoha was supposed to be safe for shinobi. Now, I'm not sure anymore."

* * *

_Did you like it? I hope so. Please review! GO PACKERS! Sorry about that. Hope you read more next Sunday!_


	11. Meeting the Father

_Hi, everyone! I'm so sorry, but this chapter might be a little short. My computer crashed! Can you believe it? Now, I know what you're wondering. How am I updating? Well, I'm using my dad's crappy computer. But, no need to fear! A broken computer shall not STOP me! And I'm pretty sure it'll be fixed by my next update, but we'll see. I hope you like this one! LOADS of NaruHina! EEP!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Except for Ichi._

* * *

**Chapter 11: Meeting the Father**

Naruto never thought he would be this nervous.

Give him a fight with Pein, sure. Ask him to be the Hokage, sure. But now, he was nervous as hell, and it was all because he was about to meet his girlfriend's father.

Well, granted, this father is a very powerful ninja who thinks that he's worth about as much as what ever is stuck to the bottom of his shoe at the moment. Then, Naruto thought, that was a bad analogy. Hiashi Hyuuga would never have anything stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

So, as Neji lead Naruto up the Hyuuga compound, he kept his exterior a mask of confidence, squared shoulders, tense jaw, determined eyes. But, on the inside, he was shaking like a Chihuahua.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, Naruto?" He looked over to Neji as they reached the gate.

He sighed, wearily. "It would have to happen sometime, I guess. Better sooner than later. Anyway… I think it's time I faced him."

The young Hyuuga nodded and opened the gates. Naruto looked around as they walked toward the large building in the center. There were small clusters of houses to his left and right. A few lavender-eyed children played in the yards. Their features all similar.

Naruto hoped that, if he and Hinata had a kid one day, that they would have her eyes. If not only to somewhat appease her father, but to also provide more power, more protection. Because there was no doubt that Naruto had enemies that would come for the things he cared about.

But Naruto smiled at the thought. A child with Hinata. That would make him the happiest man in Konoha. Well, after he married Hinata, of course.

"This is as far as I can take you." Neji said as they reached the doors of the building. "There will be a guard waiting for you inside. Good luck, Naruto."

As Neji turned away, Naruto was thankful for his support. He turned toward the doors, took a deep, and stepped through.

Neji was right. As he walked into the building, two young Hyuuga men waited for him, ready to take him to Hiashi. The inside of the building itself was built of an ornate white marble stone. Three halls branched off from the foyer and, as they walked down one of them, he noticed that this hall was lined with pillars on either side. There were a few doors here and there until, eventually, they came to large wooden double doors at the very end of the hall.

The guards pushed him forward. Naruto swallowed the objection to the push, though. Then, he steeled his nerves and walked through the doors.

He found himself in a large office. A entire wall was made of ceiling to floor windows, letting the sunlight shine through with curtains draped to either side. The wall opposite the windows contained portraits of what Naruto assumed to be the former heads of the Hyuuga clan.

In the center of the room ,Hiashi Hyuuga sat behind a large wooden desk, writing something down on paper. He didn't even look up when Naruto entered the room. The man had the Hyuuga eyes along with slicked back black hair with strands of gray near his ears. It was uncanny how similar he and Hinata's features were, but his eyes were not soft, like Hinata's, but had a sharp edge to them.

"What do you want, Uzumaki?" He still didn't look up.

"Hyuuga-san… I would like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."

Naruto waited for the flare of anger, the Byakugan activating, but none of it came. Hiashi had stopped writing and put down his pen. Then, he was in front of Naruto, his face right in front Naruto's, his eyes narrowed.

"And what makes you think," he demanded, "that _you_, of all people, would be worthy of marrying my daughter?"

Naruto didn't flinch. He would not show this man any fear, but he narrowed his eyes in return.

"Sir, I'm very aware that I will never be worthy of your daughter. But, I love Hinata and she loves me. Marrying her will make both of us happy and that's what I intend to do." Naruto prided himself on keeping his voice steady, his eyes leveled.

For a moment Hiashi didn't move or speak. Then, he backed up to look at the wall of portraits, the faces of his forefathers.

He spoke after a few moments. "I'll make you a deal, Uzumaki. I will not banish Hinata. Though, she will never be clan leader or partake in any clan festivities, she will be able to keep her name and home. On one condition." Hiashi spread his feet apart in the common Hyuuga fighting stance. "You must defeat me."

Naruto gulped. "And if I lose?"

Hiashi's mouth twisted, as if attempting a smile, but couldn't quite figure out how. "If you lose," he said, "then Hinata will no longer be a Hyuuga. She will be banished from the clan completely. All contact would be cut off. Especially with Hanabi."

Naruto also dropped into his fighting stance, feeling more secure in the familiar position. He knew he had to win this fight. Not just for him, but for Hinata. And Hanabi. If he lost, Hinata would be heartbroken and it would be _his_ fault. Naruto couldn't lose.

And so, he charged. The windows soon shattered and glass rained down on the floor.

* * *

Hinata was resting in her room in the hospital.

Kiba had just left. He had explained to her what had happened with the Mist ninja and felt very sympathetic for her friend. She had attempted to cheer him up, cracking lame jokes and telling silly stories, but she knew it was no use. Kiba blamed himself for what had happened.

It was even worse, for he had gotten to know the Mist girl. He said that she was a lot like him, preferring to use her nose and ears instead of her eyes. Hinata supposed that it was a given, since she lived in a village that constantly obscured her vision with mist.

But, Hinata noticed, that Kiba looked brighter as he described the girl. White-blonde hair and icy blue eyes. She also had a slightly pointed chin, small ears, and dimples that appeared when she laughed. Kiba had said that he couldn't wait for them to meet and Hinata predicted that Ichi Himinaru would not be going back to her village any time soon.

Hinata was broken out of her reverie by Sakura crashing through her door, panting heavily. She immediately sat up worriedly.

"Hinata," she said, regaining her breath. "Something's happened. Naruto's hurt."

The Hyuuga was immediately alert. "What happened?"

Then, Neji burst in behind Sakura, almost knocking the kunoichi over. "I'm sorry Hinata. He was too determined."

Hinata's eyes narrowed at her cousin. "What _happened_, Neji?"

He cast his eyes down in shame. "I told Naruto that your father requested you and he was angry. He requested an audience with Hiashi. I told him that it was too dangerous, that he should wait for you, but he was adamant. I'm afraid that Naruto challenged your father."

Hinata gasped and tears sprang to her eyes. Naruto had gotten hurt because of her.

Sakura spoke up again. "They're working on him now. But, when he was being taken in, he kept saying the same thing-"

"Hinata?" Dr. Ishima stepped into the room, her dark hair pulled back. "Naruto is fine. He just has a couple of big bruises. It was strange really that he was healing so fast. Anyway, he's asking for you."

Hinata nodded and Neji brought over a wheel chair for her to sit in. She was still very weak from the poison and would be no good on her feet. Neji wheeled her into the hall and down a few twists and turns before stopping in front of a door. Neji pushed her in and she saw Naruto sitting on the edge of the bed, a nurse trying to coax him into laying down to rest.

"Hina-chan!" He exclaimed as soon as he saw her. He jumped up to kiss her cheek. "I have great news!" Then, he grimaced in pain and fell back to sit on the bed, holding his side. But his smiled stayed through the grimace.

Hinata smiled at him warmly, worried he would hut himself, but knowing that she couldn't force him to rest when he was this excited about something.

He continued when she nodded to him. "I talked to your father and you won't be banished. I mean, you'll never be head of the clan, but you didn't want that anyway, right? And-"

While he was talking, Hinata had wheeled herself in front of him and now, she had smacked him hard on his chest and he fell back on the bed in pain. But it was brief and he was soon sitting up again, looking at her incredulously.

"What was that for, Hina-chan?"

Tears once again sprang to her eyes. "Never! Do you hear me? You will _never_ put yourself in danger for me again! You scared me to death when they told me you were in here!"

Naruto's eyes softened and he took her hand. "I can't promise you that, Hina-chan. I would do anything for you. I wasn't there when that monster hurt you, but from now on, I will protect you from anything. Even your crazy father."

She managed a small smile at his speech, but was still upset. After moment, listening to him assuring her that he was fine, she decided to let it go. She loved him, stupid impulses and all.

"So, Naruto," Hinata said after a while. "What was it that made my father so mad? Usually he's so calm and collected."

Naruto blushed and mumbled something under his breath.

"Sorry? What was that?"

Then, she could barely breath. "I… asked him for your hand in marriage."

Hinata did a double-take at his statement. Marriage?

"N-Naruto-" she stuttered out. But it was no use. Her voice wouldn't come out.

They both blushed harder. "I-I mean, we don't have to do it now. Get married, I mean. We can wait a while, too. I-I just thought, you know, since you're my mate, and we would eventually-"

"Naruto." Her soft voice stopped his rambling. He looked toward her and his heart almost stopped. She was looking at him with that look. The one that would always confirm that she would forever be his mate.

Hinata spoke again after a few moments. "Naruto… I would be honored to marry you, but… I think we should wait… until things settle down."

Naruto smiled, but looked down. "I know we should wait, but… I think we should do it soon. Really soon. I know you might want a big, white wedding, but Hinata… I have a bad feeling. I feel like there's something evil coming. Hinata… if I die next week… then I want to die with _you_ as my wife."

He was looking at her now and Hinata had never seen him look so serious. Hinata would love to marry him. It was her dream. But, to be honest, she was scared, terrified, even. What if he did die next week? Could Hinata live without him? Especially after they were married? But she decided that she didn't want to take that chance.

"Okay."

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_Did you liiiiiike it? Please review if you did! I'm SO sorry about the shortness! As soon as I get my computer fixed, I'll right an extra long chapter for you guys. BA BYE!_


	12. Bliss

_Hello! Okay, I put a LOT of thought into this one. I've been sick for the past FIVE days and I spent a lot of time on this chapter. So, I hope you guys like it! It's pretty much ALL NaruHina. With a little somethin somethin at the end for all you SasuSaku fans. )_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. Except for Ichi Himinaru._

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**Chapter 12: Bliss**

Naruto was in a state of complete bliss.

He was lying in bed with his beautiful wife by his side, with the face of a sleeping angel.

Hinata was still trying to recover from Tokage's venom, but Dr. Ishima said that she was responding well to the medicine and they had released her early. Naruto was also all healed up from his fight with Hiashi.

Though the bitter Hyuuga had not shown up for their ceremony, everyone that was important to them was there.

* * *

_It was a small ceremony, held in one of the large outdoor shelters near the Hokage's tower. There were white and lavender streamers hung from the roof of the building and a few rows of white chairs, with a small alter at the end of the makeshift aisle._

_Naruto stood near the alter in his tux, Tsunade beside him. Ino was tearing up and Shikamaru was constantly sighing and groaning, earning himself a few good wallops on the head from said kunoichi. Then, it was Sakura and Tenten in the next row. The doctor had even let Kurenai out for the special occasion, in a wheelchair being pushed by Asuma, of course. She wasn't very happy about it, but the sensei was also getting emotional with her former students._

_A few others were there, too. Kiba had come to see Hinata get married. The mist ninja, Ichi, was still in the hospital and Kiba had felt so guilty about her getting hurt that he hadn't left her side, but today he left Akamaru to keep her company while he came._

_There was also Kakashi, Shino, and Hanabi, of course. Then there was Gai and Lee blubbering like babies in the back, constantly blurting out things like, 'It's so beautiful' and 'the power of youth has once again brought light to our lives!', or some nonsense like that._

_Finally, Hinata stepped onto the aisle, positively taking Naruto's breath away. Since her pathetic father hadn't shown up, Neji was taking the honor of walking her down the aisle. She was wearing her mother's wedding dress. It was a simple bridal kimono, long-sleeved and floor-length with gold patterns near the neck, waist, and arms of the kimono._

_Hinata's hair was also done up differently than her usual straight style. It was in a tight bun with her bangs pulled back from her face and a traditional headdress. This exposed her beautiful porcelain face to Naruto and he couldn't tear his eyes away. She was glowing. Even her eyes had a special sparkle in them._

_"Hi," Hinata said quietly. They had finally made it to the alter, where Neji had promptly kissed her cheek and took his seat next to Tenten, taking her hand._

_"Hi," he said back. She gnawed her lip nervously and he gave her a small peck to ease some of her nerves._

_"Well, let's get this show on the road," Tsunade announced._

_After the vows had been said, Naruto was practically buzzing with excitement. Tsunade noticed this and lengthened the vows just a bit, if only to torture him for a little bit longer._

_"By the power vested in me and the village of Konoha, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."_

* * *

Now, they laid in his bed in the house that his father had left him as husband and wife. He could hardly believe how quickly their relationship had progressed. He had gone from utterly clueless to hopelessly in love in a matter of weeks. But neither of them minded. It was meant to be.

Naruto gazed at his beautiful wife's sleeping face, tracing it lightly with his fingers. He was rarely this sentimental, but he thought these past few days qualified as an exception.

Finally, Naruto thought that it was too quiet. He took his index finger and gently poked her nose. Hinata's face scrunched up and her eyes opened up a fraction and she gave him a small sleepy smile.

"Morning, Naru-kun." Her words were slightly slurred from sleep and she stretched out beside him.

"Morning, Hina-chan."

There had been a party afterwards and it left them exhausted. They practically fell into bed when they got home, falling asleep before they hit the pillows.

* * *

_Naruto had danced with almost every girl there, which wasn't too hard due to the actual size of the party, which was pretty small. He had even danced with Hanabi on his toes. Now, he was dancing with Ino._

_It was almost the end of the song when she promptly grabbed his collar and glared into his eyes._

_"You hurt her and I'll break you. Got it, Uzumaki?" Naruto didn't doubt that she would, so he nodded his head quickly and thanked whoever was watching over him when the song ended._

_Next, he danced with Sakura. It was kind of awkward at first, but they eventually dissolved into laughs, talking about how ridiculous his crush was in the end. They talked about all of the silly things that Kakashi used to so and the fun times they had as Team 7. Naruto was obviously avoiding talking about Sasuke, though. He wasn't sure how Sakura had come to terms with his leaving yet. And Naruto was still deeply upset that his best friend would never see his wedding._

_Soon, the song ended and Sakura kissed his cheek. "Congratulations again, Naruto. I'm glad you finally saw how much Hinata cared for you."_

_Naruto blanched. "You knew?" He exclaimed. Was he really that clueless?_

_Sakura rolled her eyes. "Naruto, everyone knew except you. It was coming to the point where we were all going to lock you two in a closet until she finally mustered up the courage to kiss you." Then she looked at him seriously. "But seriously, Uzumaki, be good to her. She's been waiting long enough." He nodded solemnly._

_Sakura then glanced at something over his shoulder. "I should go. Again, congratulations, Naruto." Then, she left and Naruto didn't see her for the rest of the night._

_After Sakura left, Naruto was finally able to dance with Hinata again. He saw a strange glint in her eyes as she glanced at Sakura's retreating back before her gaze rested on his face._

_"So," she began as he pulled her into his arms, "what did you and Sakura talk about?"_

_The strange look was back, but Naruto didn't notice. "We just talked about things like the old team and how Kakashi was even late to my own wedding. I mean seriously? The guy can't be on time for anything."_

_Hinata managed a small smile, but looked away. This time, Naruto noticed and lifted her chin up to meet his eyes. He finally realized what that thing in her eyes was. "Hinata, are you jealous of Sakura?" He almost found the thought laughable, but Hinata obviously didn't._

_She blushed and looked away again. "N-No." Naruto then saw how this affected her. "I-I just... you and Sakura have always been close and you used to really like her and-"_

_"Oh, Hina-chan," he cut off her stuttering and looked her in the eyes. "Exactly, I used to like Sakura. Now, we're just friends. She's still in love with Sasuke and I've found someone else." He pulled her closer and rested his head on top of hers. "You're my wife and my mate now. I love you and only you. Forever. You have nothing to worry about._

_He heard a sniff and Hinata buried her fave in his chest. Naruto faintly heard a "Oh, Naru-kun" and smiled as they swayed to the last notes of the music._

_When the party closed, Naruto dreaded looking over to see how much sake Tsunade had brought. Unfortunately, all of the older shinobi had dipped in._

_He and Hinata fled before Kurenai started complaining about how she was supposed to get all of their 'drunk asses' home._

* * *

"Do you want some breakfast, Hina-chan?" He asked after a few moments of silence. Naruto got no response and looked down to see that his wife had fallen asleep again. He smiled and kissed her forehead, gently scooting out of her embrace to head to the bathroom for a shower.

As he bathed, he remembered that Hinata still needed clothes. They had decided that she would move into the house with him. He had been living in an apartment, feeling uneasy in his father's house by himself, but now that he had Hinata to share it with, it was an honor to live in the old house. He and Hinata had moved a lot of things into the house already from his apartment, but they still needed to get her things from the Hyuuga compound.

When he stepped out of the shower, Naruto could smell breakfast being made and walked toward the kitchen after changing. A beautiful sight awaited him. He peaked in and saw Hinata with her sleep-messed hair and one of his T-shirts from the academy cooking bacon and eggs on the stove-top.

And in the oven, of course, cinnamon rolls.

Naruto snuck up behind Hinata and wrapped his arms around her small waist, making her jump.

"Naruto!" She slapped him with a dishtowel and he laughed, nuzzling her neck. He could feel her blush. Hinata wasn't used to all this affection, but he was determined to change that.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked, giving her neck a kiss and looking over her shoulder.

"W-Well, eggs, bacon, and-"

Naruto took in a big whiff. "Mmm, cinnamon rolls. What's the occasion?"

Now, Hinata rolled her eyes and Naruto smiled. "Well, in case you've forgotten, we _did_ just get married, Naruto."

He smiled impishly and kissed her cheek before going to set the table.

"Hinata, should we get your stuff from the compound today?"

Hinata's expression darkened. She was more hurt than she let on about her father not being at her own wedding. It had cut her deeply, but she tried to stay positive.

"Sure." Naruto noticed her sudden quietness and went to ask her what was wrong when she ran into his arms, crying.

"Sh, what's wrong, Hina-chan? Is it about your dad?" He felt her nod her head. "I swear if I get into another fight with him, I'll-"

"No!" Naruto looked down in shock at Hinata. "No. You will never fight him again. I told you that I won't let you get hurt anymore because of me."

His eyes softened and he nodded. They embraced for another moment before Hinata moved away and whiped her tears.

"Now, let's eat. The food's going to get cold." He smiled again and decided to drop the subject.

Naruto surprised her and planted a good long kiss to her lips. When he finally pulled away he smiled big at the dazed look in her eyes and turned toward the food.

"Let's eat!"

* * *

"Hey, stranger." Sakura had seen him watching over Naruto's shoulder. The party was still in full swing behind her, but she was content where she was. "What are you doing here? When you said it might be a while before I saw you again, I thought it would be a little longer than a week later."

Sasuke turned around and smiled a little. "You didn't seriously think I'd miss my best friend's wedding did you ?" They were hidden in the tree line outside of the shelter that the party was being held and they could still hear the music.

He smiled at her and held out a hand. "Care to dance?"

She rolled her eyes at his formality. "You can dance?"

Sakura saw a tiny blush crawl up his neck. "The Uchiha clan were very classy people. I learned to dance very young... along with some other things."

She took Sasuke's hand and he pulled her close, her head fell to his shoulder. They swayed back and forth to the music.

"So," he broke the silence, "the baka finally clued in, huh?"

Sakura laughed at his bluntness. "Yeah. I think the Kyuubi had something to do with it." He looked at her quizzically. "I really have no idea."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Until Sakura sighed.

"When are you leaving again?" She asked him, looking down.

"Actually," he said, tipping her head back up. "I might be sticking around for a while."

"Really?" Sakura looked up at him hopefully. Then, her expression turned suspicious. "Why?"

Sasuke sighed. They had stopped dancing and he lead her over to a tree. He sat down and she sat on his lap, curling into his chest as he talked.

"I've been getting signs that Itachi has been hanging around here. I have a feeling it has something to do with the leaf shinobi. He also has someone with him, but I haven't figured out who it is. My sources aren't that good. But, I don't know if I want people to know I'm back in the village."

Sakura rolled her eyes again and stood up, holding her hand out for him to take, but he had no idea why.

"Come on, we're going home. You'll stay with me until we get everything sorted out."

Sasuke blushed, but nodded.

When they arrived at Sakura's apartment, she gave him the couch to sleep on and a few extra blankets. He pouted. Sakura found it really cute, but didn't say anything.

"What?... Oh, fine. I'll see you in bed. But you better stay on your side, Uchiha."

* * *

_Did you guys like it? I really hope so! I think it's good, but the flu has been kind of messing with my brain. So, if you guys could review and reassure me, that'd be great! Love you all madly. Hope to see you next week!_

_Please review!_


	13. The Beginning of the End

_Hello, my lovelies! I'm really sorry about my short chapters lately. I have Friday off, so the next one should be at least a little longer. Thank you all for staying with me and I hope you like it!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Except for Ichi and Ikatsu (you'll meet him in this chapter)._

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Beginning of the End**

Her lungs burned.

"Sakura!"

She could barely see through all of the smoke. Her eyes stung and tears streamed out from them. She coughed furiously, but she couldn't fight the smoke that invaded her body.

"Sakura!"

Finally, the haze cleared somewhat and Sasuke stood over her, shaking her shoulder.

"Sakura! We have to go! The building's on fire!"

Even though he was yelling, Sakura could barely hear him over the roaring of flames outside her door. She nodded, but she couldn't move and kept coughing. Sasuke realized that she wasn't going to be able to run and picked her up.

Fortunately, Sasuke remembered the fire escape that they had used to get in the first time and headed toward the window. He tried to open it with one hand, but he would need both to pry it open.

Sasuke set Sakura on the ground and took off his shirt, directing her to hold it to her mouth so she wouldn't inhale as much smoke. Then, with both hands free, he easily got the window and pushed it up.

As soon as it opened, more flames poured in the room. Sasuke knew then that someone had done this on purpose. Whoever did it was making sure that no one escaped. He picked Sakura back up and headed for her door.

While still holding Sakura, Sasuke was able to manage a few hand signs and was able to maneuver his jutsu so that he could push the flames back slightly enough so they could get through. As he darted down the hall, he could hear people banging on their doors, trying to get help.

Sasuke decided to get Sakura out first. He ran down the flight of stairs and for the front door of the building. Flames licked up his legs, but he barely noticed.

As soon as he hit fresh air, he looked around to see Tsunade barking orders at a few ANBU and the othe leaf shinobi waiting for their orders.

"Sasuke!" It was Ino who had spotted him and was running toward him. "What happened?" Sasuke didn't say anything, but handed Sakura to her and turned back to the building. He had to get those people out of there.

He looked back once more and caught Sakura's eyes. Then, he rushed back into the building. Faintly, he heard her. It was hard and raspy, but it was Sakura who screamed after him, "Sasuke!"

Once back in the building, Sasuke kept using his jutsu to push back the flames enough for people to get out. He then proceeded to run up and down the halls yelling and guiding people out.

Sasuke turned to find Naruto and Shikamaru behind him. "Get to the top floor!" Naruto yelled over the flames while making room for a woman and little girl to run through. "That's where the fire's the worst! We'll get the rest!"

Sasuke nodded and head back to the stairs. They groaned and shuddered as he ran up them and he knew they wouldn't last much longer.

The top floor of the building was floor five. Sasuke could easily see that this was where the fire had started. There was only one room left that had people in it at the end of the hall. The others were all dead.

At the end of the hall, he opened the door to see a mother and little boy trying to lift a piece of stone from the collapsing roof off of a man. He lied on the ground, still conscious. The man met his eyes and yelled to him. Sasuke couldn't hear the words, but he could read the man's lips. '_Take them! Go!'_

That's exactly what he did. The woman picked up the boy before Sasuke picked them both up and carried them out of the room with the boy yelling the man's name and tried to squirm out of his mother's arms. They were heavy together, but Sasuke managed to run.

He met Naruto and Shikamaru halfway down the stairs. Sasuke handed the woman and boy to Shikamaru and told him to bring them outside. Then, he and Naruto ran back to the apartment at the end of the top floor.

Try as they might, it would take them forever to lift the piece of stone. The man had already passed out and the building was groaning with the fire.

They had finally moved the stone just as they felt the building start to collapse.

* * *

"No."

Her voice was only a whisper as she watched the flames rise higher in the sky, while the building burned to the ground.

"No!"

Sakura's voice was still raspy from the smoke she'd inhaled, but she screamed, even though it hurt. She had just gotten him back. She couldn't lose him again.

"Naruto!"

This time, it was Hinata's voice that Sakura heard. She must be crushed, Sakura thought. She and Naruto had only just gotten married two days before.

"Naruto!"

Sakura was puzzled as Hinata shouted his name again and started running. Then, she saw them. Naruto and Sasuke were limping toward them, a man's arms slung over their shoulders.

Sakura yearned to run, too. To jump into Sasuke's arms and never let go. But, the smoke had left her paralyzed. It hurt just to keep her eyes open, but she did, afraid that if she closed them, her love would be gone again.

"Sakura!" He yelled as they reached them. Hinata jumped into Naruto's arms and cried into his shoulder. Sasuke ran over to Sakura after setting the man down. The medic nins had helped dull the smoke damage, but she was still exhausted and when Sasuke held her in his strong arms, she just cried softly.

Sakura faintly heard Tsunade call something out to all of them, but her ears buzzed too much for her to understand it. Sasuke pulled her unto his back and she buried her face into his neck as he started to walk next to the others. No one talked, but the tension was high in the air.

After a while, Sakura felt them all stop. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, responding to the crackly of flames.

In a field near the Hokage tower, fire burned up and down the rows of tall grass. Smoke blurred her vision again, but once the haze cleared somewhat, she could see it, burning into the grass.

The Uchiha clan symbol.

* * *

Sasuke stood in the middle of the group in Tsunade's office. He kept his expression stony and his eyes cold.

Sakrua had fallen asleep and, as much as Sasuke wished she could stand by him while they asked questions, he knew that she had to recover from all of the smoke inhalation. She was asleep when the fire started, but Sasuke had been on the fire escape, looking at the stars. He'd gone back in to get her once he smelled smoke. He was just glad she was safe.

But now, he had to face the leaf shinobi on his own.

Sasuke blocked the first punch coming toward his stomach, but couldn't stop the uppercut that came in contact with his jaw. Pain grabbed his chin.

"Naruto! That's enough. We'll have time for reunions later." Sasuke looked up at Tsunade as he rubbed his jaw.

Ino smirked at Naruto. "Sakura's gonna get you for that." Naruto paled and pulled Hinata in front of him as a shield while still glaring at Sasuke.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and turned back to Sasuke. "Now, you need to tell us everything you know about the attack on the shinobi."

Sasuke launched into the information he'd learned from some sources he's encountered on the road. Itachi had found Ikatsu, an evil man with a grudge against all shinobi, but especially Konoha. Sasuke was sure that the war was Ikatsu's idea and Itachi was just playing servant.

"But what would Ikatsu have against Konoha?" Hinata asked. Naruto was still behind her, but now his arms her wrapped loosely around her waist. Sasuke was glad that the baka had finally come to his senses and married the Hyuuga.

"Years ago, Ikatsu was part of the Uchiha clan. He tried to commit treason against the clan, but was caught by my father and banished. He was trying to sell our secrets to other clans. They'd offered him power in the north and he was exiled. Ever since, he's been wanting revenge." Sasuke looked back at Tsunade as he shared the information, seeing her recognize the tale as he spoke.

She finally spoke. "Yes, I remember that article in the archives. He fled into the northern mountains, but hasn't been seen since."

Sasuke nodded. "That was about twenty years ago. He's probably been planning all this time, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Things have been quiet and Tokage's appearance triggered something underground. The criminals that have been hiding are realizing that we all have weaknesses and are plotting against the shinobi."

The Hokage sat down heavily in her chair and sighed wearily. "It's finally begun. That fire was the signal. Ikatsu is declaring war."

Shikamaru stepped up. He had been in his meditation pose since they'd gotten there. "We should start training. Gathering the ANBU and other shinobi. There should be patrols every night around the perimeter of the village and at the edge of the forest. I'll go tonight with a few others and secure the gates. Tomorrow we'll begin training and scheduling shifts."

Ino took her boyfriend's hand. "I'll go with you. I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep anyway."

Tsunade nodded. "I'll send for a few ANBU to meet you at the gate in about twenty minutes. Until then, we need to get some medic nins back to the hospital to take care of the victims from the buildings. Sasuke, do you have a place to stay?"

He glanced over to Sakura on the couch in the corner, sleeping soundly. "I'll go wherever Sakura will be staying."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You guys can come stay with Hinata and I. We have plenty of room, not that you two need much. You'll be sharing a bedroom, right? And Sakura will have to go shopping with Ino tomorrow for some new clothes."

They looked over to see Sakura stirring on the couch. She yawned and stretched, standing up. Then, she sleepily walked over Sasuke and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder.

Tenten looked to Sasuke from her place besides Neji. "Sasuke, if Ikatsu was part of the Uchiha clan, does that mean that you two are like... related?"

Sasuke sighed tiredly. He was getting sick of everyone's eyes being on him. "Unfortunately, yes. Ikatsu is mine and Itachi's uncle."

The silence weighed heavily on the room. Suddenly, Shizune burst through the door, making everyone jump, except for Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke of course.

"What is it Shizune?" Tsunade said grumpily, she had had enough for one night.

The woman's eyes widened. "What are you all doing here? Haven't you heard?"

Tsunade glared at her. "Spit it out, Shizune."

"Kurenai's going into labor."

* * *

_So, did you like it? I hope so! This was a real treat for all you SasuSaku lovers! If you're reading this, it means you actually read the whole chapter! Thank ya! Thank ya very much! Sorry... Elvis moment there... AWKWARD TURTLE! So... see ya next week!_

_PS: Go Packers! Take that, Rams! :P_


	14. The War is Born

_Hello! Sorry for the delay. But I promise, it's worth it! Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. Except for Ichi and Rin._

* * *

**Chapter 14: The War is Born**

Hinata laughed as her boyfriend ran and hid behind her back.

Her husband had gone into Kurenai's hospital room, convinced that he could help. Hinata heard a lot of yelling, a crash, and a few choice words that she'd rather not repeat.

"Hina-chan, your sensei scares me."

She laughed again and kissed his cheek, causing his face to brighten.

"Come on, Naru-kun," she said as she took his hand. "I'm sure the baby won't come out for at least another few hours. Let's go take a walk."

Naruto slung an arm around his wife's shoulder as she lead him out of the hospital. After a while, Hinata could tell that something was bothering him. Naruto was staring off into space and his arm had tightened around her shoulders.

"What's wrong, Naru-kun?" Her voice had startled him, but he didn't respond. "Is it because of Sasuke?"

He nodded meekly. "I just don't understand. He came back, but didn't tell anyone. He told Sakura, but she kept it from me. I mean, he was my best friend, Hinata. I just don't know why they don't trust me."

Hinata had led them to a wooden bench and was drawing patterns on his back as he talked. She looked up at his sad, betrayed face.

"I don't think that they don't trust you, Naru-kun," she told him. "They didn't want to hurt you. I'm sure Sasuke didn't plan on staying long if his brother is still out there. What would happen if he came back and left. You'd be hurt all over again. They didn't want that."

Naruto shook his head. "But, they said that Sakura had met up with him right after we were attacked by Tokage." He absently traced the scars down Hinata's back and she shivered at the memory. "Why wouldn't she tell us."

Hinata gave him a reassuring smile. "She probably didn't want to get your hopes up. If Sakura told you, you would have gone after him and that wouldn't have helped anyone. Naru-kun, they're still your friends and they're still just looking out for you. Do you really want to be mad at them."

She giggled at the pout on his face. "I want to, but I can't be. Now, you made me all forgiving."

Hinata laughed and kissed his cheek. "Good. Now, let's-"

Suddenly, a kunai flew through the air, but they dodged just in time. Hinata looked up to see a man about their age running toward them, with another on one side and a girl on the other. They all had short black hair and dull yellowish eyes. And they each had a blank forehead protector.

Hinata activated her byakugan and saw Naruto at her side in the corner of her eye. Naturally, the girl veered toward her and the two guys went for Naruto.

She jumped away as the girl threw several more kunai at her head. Her byakugan aloud her to see where all of the girl's chakra points were being directed and focused on the weaker points.

Hinata was already getting tired. The girl she was against was fast and good with weapons. Hinata was using two kunai to block the girls weapons, using the dull ends of the weapons to hit some weaker chakra points when she could actually get a hit in.

She had also been trying to get a few hits in with her Gentle Fist, but the girl was so fast that she didn't have time. Most of the time, it was just a blur of orangy-red hair and weapons.

"Ah!"

Hinata heard a sudden shout come from Naruto and turned instinctively. Big mistake. Naruto had just hit the ground hard, but Hinata had let her guard down. The girl whipped a shuriken at her and Hinata tried to dodge it at the last second, but she was too slow. The shuriken sliced through her thigh.

"Ah!"

This time, it was Hinata screaming. She collapsed to the ground, nearly getting sliced by a few more kunai. While on the ground, Hinata was still desperately trying to defend herself from the onslaught of weapons being thrown at her, but she was getting tired.

Hinata's movements were getting sluggish and she knew she wouldn't last long. A kunai clipped her calf and she whimpered. Then, a smaller kunai caught her right hand, sticking right through the middle and her hand exploded in pain.

"Naruto!"

He was her last hope. Hinata couldn't fight with a kunai through one hand. She could try, but she wouldn't last long. Another kunai skimmed her right arm.

Then, Naruto was in front of her, blocking the endless weapons for her. Hinata looked over to see Naruto's assailants on the ground, bleeding but not enough to be dead, just unconscious.

She then looked up at Naruto, her hero. His eyes were becoming red and his chakra was glowing angrily. Unlike Hinata, Naruto was landing hits left and right until the girl was unconscious, but he wasn't finished, driven by his anger.

Hinata found her voice just as Naruto was going to end the woman's life. "N-Naru-kun..."

Naruto looked over and immediately dropped the girl on the ground, rushing over to her side. His eyes got big when he saw all of the blood. She fought the sleepiness washing over her.

Then, several ANBU crashed through the underbrush.

"About damn time!" Naruto shouted, startling them. He nodded toward the three assailants, "Grab them, take them to the prison."

Then, Naruto gently swung Hinata onto his back, her left arm clutching his jacket as the right one hung limply over his shoulder, the kunai still in her hand. As Hinata laid her head on his shoulder, she felt Naruto gently kiss her forehead and start running.

"It's okay, Hina-chan, get some rest. Everything's gonna be fine." And she did, because she was losing her fight to sleep and Naruto's shoulder and scent were lulling her softly to slumber.

And because Hinata knew that Naruto always kept his promises.

* * *

"They're here." Naruto growled as he walked near the others, Hinata still sleeping on his back.

Sakura looked up from where she was talking to Tsunade. "Who's- Hinata!"

Immediately, everyone's head snapped up and a few of the shinobi ran to help her. Hanabi was there too. She was sitting with some boy Naruto didn't recognize until she saw Hinata.

As he gently swung her off his back and onto the nearby couch, Sakura quickly got to work on Hinata's hand. Naruto didn't dare remove the kunai, afraid he would screw something up and hurt his wife even more.

"Naruto, you said 'they're here'." He looked over at Tsunade. "_Who's_ here?"

Naruto sighed. "Ikatsu and the army he brought with him."

With that, Naruto informed everyone about the nameless shinobi that had attacked them and how he'd ordered some ANBU to take them to the prison where they could question them later.

"I'm sure there's more coming," he told Tsunade. "We should set up a perimeter. That was just the first volley. Whoever these people are, they have something against all ninja. I'm assuming that's what their blank forehead protectors mean."

Tsunade nodded and sighed. She then ordered an ANBU to grab the chest she'd brought. The Hokage set down the relatively large box and opened the lid. The chest was split in half. On one side, black ninja suits and on the other, ANBU masks.

She looked up at all of them. "I've been saving these for an emergency and I think that now's the time." Tsunade looked around at every one of them. "From now on, each and every one of you is being promoted to an ANBU. For now at least." Almost everyone wanted to cheer, but they knew that now wasn't the time.

She took out a suit and one of the masks, handing it to Naruto and the rest to everyone else. She also gave Naruto Hinata's. "Naruto, you are the red fox. Hinata, the blue mouse. Shikamaru, the black bat. Ino, the white rabbit. Neji, the silver shark. Tenten, the brown bear. Kiba, the white wolf. Sakura, the white dove. And Sasuke, the black wolf."

"For the rest of you, Hanabi and Rin, you are still in the academy and not permitted to fight. You two will stay here with me and help direct the ANBU teams. Ichi, you are still a mist shinobi so I cannot give make you a leaf ANBU. But, you can fight if you wish."

"Wait," Tenten said, looking at the Hokage. "How could you know to have one for Sasuke?"

Tsunade sighed. "Well, I'd hoped in case of a war, the baka would come back and defend his village. Now, we need to set up a perimeter, as Naruto said. I assume you will go in teams of two and whistle if you need help. Hinata will join Naruto after she wakes up."

Naruto saw Sakura look at the injured Hyuuga. "But Tsunade-sama, Hinata won't be in any condition to fight!"

"No." He felt their eyes turn to him as he brushed a piece of hair from Hinata's flushed face and spoke to them. "She... She will want to fight if it means saving others. Other lives... other families."

The others nodded. Tsunade called in some ANBU and sent them to gather the others.

Later, when they had all changed, each of the shinobi put on their ANBU masks for the first time. It felt great, considering the circumstances. They would be happy if the world didn't seem so sad.

Before he left, Naruto took a look at Hinata's mask. It was unusual. The color was a deep bluish-indigo. In a way, he thought, Hinata was like the mouse. She was very quiet and she had snuck her way into his life. He set the mask near her head and kissed her cheek.

With his orders and his mask, Naruto set out alone. As the red fox.

* * *

Ino and Shikamaru were patrolling near the edge of the forest and frankly, Ino was getting bored.

They'd been patrolling for at least an hour now and nothing, or no one, had shown up so far. There had been a few attacks when Sakura and Sasuke were out, but they were minor and easy to take care of.

It was almost noon out now and Ino was also getting hot. It was all she could do not to take off her mask and just complain to Shikamaru.

And he was being no help either. He wouldn't talk at all, insisting that they should keep quiet all the time. So, Ino decided to have some fun with him.

When her boyfriend wasn't looking, Ino slipped away and climbed up a nearby tree. It was almost too easy. Then, she dropped, poised to land on Shikamaru. But, at the last minute, he turned up and tackled her down in mid air.

Ino squealed in surprise. "Shikamaru! How did you know I was coming."

She could hear the smirk in his voice. "Please. I'm the bat. I hear _everything_." Insert annoyed eye-roll here. "And what about you? Aren't rabbits supposed to be fast?"

It was Ino's turn to smirk. "Oh, hon. You have no idea how fast I can be."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her innuendo and stood up, pulling her with him. "C'mon, quit goofing around. We-"

Suddenly, Ino was on the ground with Shikamaru on top of her. At first she thought he had changed his mind, but then she noticed the several shuriken that imbedded themselves in the tree behind them.

"Move!" Shikamaru commanded and they both got into ready stances as four men came out of the trees, each only slightly older than them.

Immediately, they were dodging weapons left and right. Neither were even able to do their jutsu. Finally, Ino landed a hit with her kunai and made the hand signs for her Mind Transfer jutsu.

Almost right away, she felt herself penetrate the man's mind that was attacking her and took over his body.

Ino quickly went to help Shikamaru. He had knocked out one of them, but the other two were still attacking.

She walked over and started fighting close combat with the nearest assailant. "What the-" was really all he could get out before Ino was just attacking and attacking. Finally, she saw her opening and knocked him to the ground. With that done, she went to go help Shikamaru.

But then, the man she thought she'd knocked down hit her in the side, knocking the wind out of her.

"No!"

In the corner of Ino's eye -as she tried to get her breath back- she saw that Shikamaru had finally knocked out his attacker, but there was another problem. The man she was fighting had finally figured out what was going on and was beginning to send weapons right toward Ino's unconscious body.

Luckily, Shikamaru got their first as Ino hurried to release the jutsu, but she wasn't fast enough. Shikamaru was able to quickly stop the first few weapons, but the last kunai caught him right in the stomach.

Ino released the jutsu just as he went down and yelled out, turning on her attacker. She saw red and rushed him.

All she remembers next was the man on the ground and rushing to her boyfriend's side.

"Shika-kun, wake up!" No response. "Damn it, Shikamaru Nara! Wake up!" With that, she slapped him across the face, desperate.

"Ow! What the hell, Ino?!" Ino threw herself onto her boyfriend, crying out.

"C'mon, Ino. I'm fine. Get off and I'll show you." She did as he asked and whimpered when he yanked the kunai out of his stomach. "See? The suit took most of the damage. It's just a little deep. Now, quit crying and call for help."

Ino whistled loudly, thankful that her active lungs were coming in handy. The ANBU would come collect the attackers.

She turned back to Sikamaru and slapped him upside the head. "What was-!?" Then, Ino was on top of him, kissing him deeply. Not that he was complaining or anything, in fact, he was thoroughly enjoying it.

When she finally pulled back, Shikamaru was able to finish his sentence, albeit a lot softer. "What was that for?"

Ino smiled as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Never do that to me again. Got it?"

With that, Ino took some of the weight as he leaned on her shoulder and they headed back to base.

* * *

After Hinata had finally woken up, the first day of the war had officially ended and the night was upon them.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" She looked up to see Naruto bringing her a cinnamon roll.

"How am I going to be an ANBU if you make me fat off of cinnamon rolls?" She asked him softly, but thanked him anyway as he handed it to her.

He smiled at her as she dove into the sugary, doughy goodness.

When she was done, Hinata looked up to see Naruto holding out his hand. She took it without question and he led her down the hall. "I want you to meet someone."

As they walked in the room, Hinata gasped. Kurenai lay in her bed, a rosy-cheeked baby in her arms.

"Hinata, meet Shin Sarutobi."

"What happened to Kenji?" Tenten asked.

"Well," Kurenai said, looking at Asuma. "When he came out, he just didn't look like a Kenji. So, we decided on Shin and it seems he likes it."

Hinata could tell, because whenever he heard it, the little baby would squeal loudly.

They all smiled at the new happy family, Ino and Shikamaru the most at their newly changed sensei, as he smiled at his new baby boy.

* * *

_So, was it worth the wait? I hope so! Tank you all so much for reading! Please review! :)_


	15. Fighting for What Matters

_Hi guys! SO sorry about the delay! I was watching the game and got in late! :P I hope this makes up for your wait, though! I worked really hard on it. Honestly, I didn;t feel like writing at all today, but I did! Thank you all so much for staying with me and reading my story. It really means a lot to me. A few more chapters! Love you all and I really really REALLY hope you love this chapter as much as I did. Thank you for reading!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. Except for Ichi and Rin._

* * *

**Chapter 15: Fighting for What Matters**

It's been four days.

Ikatsu's army was still following the same pattern: Send a few nameless shinobi for no more than a few attacks each day, absolutely no activity at night, and repeat. Each attack so far has been a failure, all of the opposing shinobi sitting in jail cells in the Konoha prison.

What they couldn't figure out was why. If previous attempts keep changing, why not change the strategy? Sasuke says that Ikatsu is much smarter than this. Everyone knew what that meant. That their was something much bigger to come.

Hinata, when she wasn't on patrol with Naruto, tried to keep the atmosphere as light as possible. She baked cookies, brought games like chess to play, and volunteered to help whenever and wherever she could.

But, doing all of this meant that she didn't see much of everyone, including her sister and husband. Her husband was always training or discussing war plans if he wasn't with her patrolling and her other friends were doing a lot of the same thing. Well, except for Ino and Shikamaru, who -of course- mostly disappeared. They could've been training, but Hinata didn't think much of it.

Finally, when Hinata found some free time, she sought out her younger sister. Hiashi had still been training her, but less so due to her being so helpful and professional.

She followed some familiar giggling and found Hanabi down in the make-shift mess hall. With Rin, of course. That would explain the giggling.

Hinata stood near the doorway and watched her little sister as she flirted with her first crush. It was a refreshing change from usually serious Hyuuga.

Unexpected tears gathered in Hinata's eyes as she watched Hanabi. She was so happy for her little sister. Sure, she knew there wouldn't be any wedding bells (especially not this early), but it was nice and sad at the same time to watch her baby sister grow up right before her eyes.

Finally, Hanabi noticed the familiar figure standing near the door and excused herself. As soon as she saw the tears in Hinata's eyes, her expression grew worried.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" She asked.

Hinata didn't say anything, but just pulled Hanabi into a strong hug. She already knew she looked terrible, so Hinata refused to let any of the tears fall.

When she finally pulled away, she grasped Hanabi by the shoulders and just looked at her.

"Hinata, you're scaring me. What's happened?" Hanabi asked as she took her sisters hands from her shoulders and held them. "Is it Naruto? Sakura?"

Hinata shook her head and closed her eyes, taking in a shuddering breath.

Then she opened them and smiled. "You've grown up so much."

Hanabi rolled her eyes, though her cheeks reddened. "Oh, geez. Please, don't go all sappy on me. I might start crying then." She stole a glance back across the room.

Hinata laughed and pulled her into another hug. "Mother would have been so proud of you," she told her softly.

Hanabi wrapped her arms around her sister then, sighing softly.

"So," Hinata said as she pulled away once again and wiped her eyes. She nodded toward the boy watching them. "Has he asked you out yet?"

_"Hinata!" _Hanabi whined, her face growing even redder.

Hinata giggled. "Well?"

Hanabi looked down at her shoes. "You know Father's rules, Hinata. He already doesn't like Rin from reading our team's reviews."

Hinata gasped. "So, he did! Well?" Hanabi looked at her, confused. "You said yes, right?"

The young Hyuuga nodded and Hinata squealed. Hanabi covered her mouth and was almost as red as a tomato by now.

Hanabi was much more confident than Hinata always was and she was glad for that. She was just afraid that their overbearing father would get in the way of that.

Hinata sat down with Hanabi and wrapped her arm around her. "I've been thinking about that," she said. "If you, say, end up marrying this boy, Father will exile you, right?" Hanabi reddened again, but nodded. "But, Father can't pass down the title of clan head without an heir, right?" The young Hyuuga smiled deviously. "So, we just have to figure all of that out. And I'm sure that Tsunade would help us. She never really liked Father anyway," she added in a whisper. Hanabi giggled.

"So," Hinata continued. "I think you two are right, though. You shouldn't make anything official until this whole war is finally over."Hanabi gaped at her sister. "You were _eavesdropping_?"

Hinata gasped. "Of course not!... But, I may or may not have asked a few people to keep an eye on you two."

_"Hinata!"_

"Hey! Don't blame me! I _am_ your older sister after all. Just be thankful I didn't tell _Naruto _anything."

Hanabi's eyes widened. "Please, no! That would be unbearable! He'd gather all of the guys to interrogate Rin! Hinata, _please_ don't put him through that."

She laughed and glanced over Hanabi's shoulder. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. But, I think you should get back to your boyfriend. He looks like he's going to come over here and steal you away at any minute."

And Hanabi did just that, albeit blushing all the way there.

Hinata watched them for a little bit longer. She knew it might seem a little creepy, but she didn't care. As Hanabi reached her previous seat, Rin said something and Hanabi slapped his arm, but laughing anyways. Hinata guessed it had something to do with her fire-truck-red face. Hinata sighed and left right after Hanabi's foot began to poke Rin's.

It was fun watching her sister flirt, but Hinata realized that watching a boy flirt back was a little bit unsettling.

As Hinata walked back to the lobby, she felt two arms wrap around her waste.

"What's up?" Her husband asked, walking with her.

"Oh," she said and threw a glance back the way she came.

"Nothing."

* * *

Today was different.

Naruto noticed it right away. There was a significant change in the air. It was nearly five and there hadn't been any attacks yet. It was almost as if the village was holding it's breath, waiting.

He'd called everyone into Tsunade's office to discuss tactics. Something big was going to happen. Soon. He had a bad feeling.

"I say we bring the fight to them. We should find their hideout and attack them before they attack us."

The suggestion had come from Temari. She and Gaara had stayed in Konoha to help out with the fight against Ikatsu. Matsuri had sent Gaara a message that she had arrived back in Suna and Gaara insisted that she stay there. This technically didn't concern their village and he didn't want to put her in danger.

The other sand-sibling was also ordered to stay in Suna, to keep peace while Gaara was gone. He was Kazekage, after all.

"That would leave the village without protection. _And_ it would take a while to find their hideout. _Then_, we'd have to devise a plan and assemble the ANBU forces. In case you haven't noticed, something's going down _now_. Not in a couple of weeks when we'd have time to carry out your '_plan_'. If you could even call it that."

Shikamaru gently pulled Ino back into her seat as they argued. Let's just say that she wasn't going to be making nice with Temari anytime soon. Or ever.

"_Enough_." Gaara said, finally putting a stop to the two kunoichi's insistent bickering.

Naruto stepped up while nobody was talking. "We'll continue patrols. But, I think that it's best if we have organized teams. So, we'll all be going on patrols with our old academy teams."

Complaints erupted. Naruto stayed silent as they came at him along with questions. He felt someone squeeze his hand and looked over to see Hinata looking up at him from where she sat, a weary look on her face. Yes, Naruto knew that splitting into teams would separate him and Hinata. But, he figured that they could both focus better if they weren't constantly glanciing over at one another to make sure they were okay.

He also realized that many of the other couples would still be together. But Naruto knew that they had trained together and would be fine. Either way, it was still hard to let his wife go without him. But he knew her team would take care of her, just as they always had.

Shino, Choji, and Lee had all come back from their respective missions and were ready to help out. But, Ichi, Hinata, and her friend would all still be staying back with Tsunade to help with carrying out ANBU orders.

Eventually, they had all settled down enough for Naruto to talk again. But there was no need. An ANBU crashed through the door. The village perimeter has been breached.

Night had fallen and the fight had begun.

* * *

In the end, they had all agreed to go as planned with their former teams leading a group of ANBU and each take a sector of the village.

Kakashi and Gai would stay near the hospital and guard the remaining villagers, since Kurenai was still out of commission and Asuma wouldn't be leaving her and his son anytime soon.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were on the front lines, near the gate of the village. They figured that most of the army would go for the obvious and charge right through the gates, so they lead the largest group of ANBU against the nameless shinobi.

Naruto was currently cloning himself. There would have to be just enough clones to help with the fight, but not so much that it would drain his energy to keep them up. He and his clones fought just outside the gate, while Sasuke, Sakura, and the ANBU were inside, handling the ones that got through.

Out of habit, Naruto continued to listen every hour or so for Hinata, if she would happen to scream for help. He knew it was dumb, but he was worried. He remembered what he'd said just before they ran into battle.

_'Everything will be fine, Hina-chan. Be careful and by next week, we'll have all of this behind us. We have to go. I love you, my little mouse.'_

Naruto knew it was insanely cheesy even as he was saying it and he was sure that Hinata thought so, too. But it had pretty much summed up what he was thinking. And on the bright side, he had a new nickname for her.

On the other side of the gate, Sasuke and Sakura were fighting together. It had been so long, but they still knew what to do. Sakura remembered something that Kakashi had told them once. Focus on fighting what's in front of you and trust your team to watch your back.

That's exactly what they were doing and, aside from the occasional ANBU that got in their way, the tow worked like a well-oiled machine.

On the south side of Konoha, Neji, Tenten and Lee were stationed near the Hyuuga compound, making sure nobody got near enough to get over the walls. Lee was moving like lightning from one opponent to the next. Neji also fought well with his Byakugan activated.

The two men left Tenten a wide birth for her weapon jutsu, taking out a few opponents at a time. The other ANBU also steered clear of her as to not get accidentally killed by a stray kunai. Unfortunately, this meant that they were fighting to kill. As if that wasn't enough, the thirty or so shinobi that had been captured had escaped for the fight. As if they didn't have enough to worry about.

On the west side of Konoha, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, and Gaara and Temari were fighting both below and on top of the Hokage monument. Ino was using her own body. Between this many people, Shikamaru couldn't possibly protect her body for long. Besides, the nameless shinobi didn't seem to use any ninjutsu, so they wouldn't be of much use.

Ino was reluctant to fight near Temari, but allowed it for the time being. Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru stayed below the monument, where Shikamaru could used his jutsu better. Temari and Gaara's long range attacks worked better on the wide top of the monument anyway.

Over to the east, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino were near Hokage tower, defending the staff and scrolls with centuries worth of information and history in them.

Hinata missed fighting next to Naruto. They had been doing it so frequently now that it was easy. But Hinata supposed that she understand his reasoning. He didn't want her jumping in front of any shuriken for him And fighting with her old team was second nature, so it would never put her at a disadvantage.

Hinata saw something out of the corner of her eye. A large board laying against the tower wall was moving. She knocked her opponent to the ground, unconscious, and decided to quickly check it out.

As she moved the board away, she found a little boy. He couldn't have been more than six years old. Hinata saw a Amegakure forehead protector around his neck. Hinata pushed up her mask, as to not scare him.

He looked up fearfully and saw her forehead protector around her neck. "A-Are you a good guy?"

Hinata's heart broke for the scared little boy. She nodded and kneeled next to him. "What are you doing here?" She asked him.

He jumped into her arms crying. "A-A scary man c-came to my h-house. My mama and papa weren't h-home and he t-took me away. They d-did things to me and some other kids and asked i-if I knew any j-jutsu. H-He left early and I-I got away."

Hinata deciphered his words in her mind as she calmed him down. Apparently, if she was understanding him right, Akatsuki weren't the only ones who knew about the jutsu transfer theory. Ikatsu was kidnapping children for the experiments. But, this young? Hinata gasped, that meant there were more kids.

Soon, the boy calmed down enough to talk again. "What's your name?" Hinata asked softly.

"O-Oki."

Hinata smiled at him. "You are a very brave little boy, Oki. Come with me. I'll help you. Jump on my back."

She turned around and smiled as the boy used his little arms and legs to climb up her back. Hinata pulled down her mask as he buried his face in her neck. Hinata stuck to the shadows until she was just behind Shino.

"Shino." His head whipped around to look at Hinata. Most of the enemies were dead around them and Hinata made sure that Oki didn't look. Suddenly, it seemed that whoever was left of the nameless shinobi were actually retreating. "The fight's over. Let's get back to base and wait for the others." He nodded and they rounded up Kiba and Akamaru.

Before they could get far, Naruto crashed though the trees and found Hinata. He ran up to her and hugged her fiercely.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Hina-chan!..." Naruto suddenly noticed the extra weight she was carrying on her back. "Uh, Hina-chan, who's this?"

Hinata pushed her mask up again and motioned Naruto to do the same before she jostled the young boy. "Oki, you can open your eyes now."

The little boys peeked through Hinata's long hair before looking and letting her swing him around so that he sat on her hip.

"Oki, this is Naruto. Naruto, this is Oki." The little boy waved and held tight to Hinata.

Naruto smiled. "Hi, Oki. I'm Naruto. Do you want to ride on my back?"

Oki looked up at Hinata and said a small 'yes' when Hinata nodded for him to go ahead. So, Hinata explained what was happening when they met up with all the others and head back to base.

As soon as they were close to the hospital, Kiba and Akamaru's ears twitched and they took off toward the entrance. When they others made it inside, they knew why. It was Kurenai screaming.

"They took him! They took my baby boy!"

* * *

_Whew! That was a big one. By the way, I know that most of you don't read this, but PLEASE DO! I mean, really? I really appreciate all of you readers, but you don't review! Please review! It helps my inspiration! And tank you SO MUCH for the couple of you who actually DO review. You guys know who you are and I'll give you due credit at the end of the story. But the rest of you still have that chance! So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Love you all! See ya next week! :P_


	16. Tunnels

_Hello! Sorry I was so late. It was my birthday on friday and I've been SO busy. Well, enough of my jibber-jabber. On with the story!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. Except Ichi and Oki._

* * *

**Chapter 16: Tunnels**

Asuma was already gone.

As soon as the doctors had ralized what happened, Asuma was out of the building and probably hot on Ikatsu's trail.

Naruto still couldn't believe what was happening. Ikatsu was trying to steal clan jutsus. From kids, even! This little boy was only six years old, taken away from his family. Naruto knew what it was like not to have a family to rely on. He wouldn't let that happen to any other little kids.

One of Kurenai's doctors walked over to Shikamaru and whispered something in his ear. He nodded, then walked over to his former team. Naruto saw him subtly take Ino's hand as they talked.

Kurenai was still crying and shouting. Naruto knew she wanted nothing more than to go get her son herself, but she definitely wasn't in any shape to fight and everyone knew it.

Shikamaru came over. "I think we should get back into our patrol teams and leave immediately. Choji and Shino said they'll stay behind and take care of Kurenai."

Naruto thought over this. "But where are we going?"

"Hinata says that the little boy remembers where it is. He can lead us there."

Naruto looked over at his wife. Hinata was doing a puzzle with Oki while they came up with a plan. It was strange, but Naruto was absolutely overjoyed at the fact that she was so good with kids.

"We should go then," he told Shikamaru.

Shikamaru made the announcement. "Everybody pair up! We leave in two minutes! Meet outside!"

So, about three minutes later, they all stood at the village gates. Oki was on Naruto's back, clutching his shoulders. Though he was nervous, Naruto knew that he felt important with his crucial job.

"Alright, Oki," Naruto said softly. "Where to?"

Oki looked around, then at the map Naruto held in front of him. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and used his free hand to point east, toward the large forest that stretched over the land of fire.

Naruto nodded and they headed off. They shouldn't be too far, Naruto thought. They must have been near the village to retreat so quickly and disappear.

After about four hours, Oki suddenly shouted, "_Stop!_"

Each shinobi skidded to a stop, Kiba tripping over Akamaru. Ichi had finally decided that she would come along to save Shin, no matter what.

Ichi, as it turned out, used to have a child. They lived in Kirigakure until her son was killed at three years old by a rogue ninja's stray kunai. After that, she became a messenger for the Mizukage. She said to Kiba that she wouldn't let another mother lose her child.

Naruto looked around, but didn't see anything that he would classify as a base, not even a cave or anything. There were just trees in front of him.

"Um, Oki?" It was Tenten that spoke up. "Are you sure this is the spot? There's nothing here."

Naruto felt Oki trying to squirm away from him and set him down on his feet. The boys thumb was still in his mouth. He walked over a few feet and plopped down on his behind. Oki took his little fist and hit the ground in front of him. They'd learned that he wasn't much of a talker.

Neji scowled. "I knew we shouldn't have relied on him. He's only a child."

The boy pounded on the ground once more.

HInata knelt down next to him. "Oki, we don't understand."

The boy groaned, frustrated, and pounded even harder. Naruto heard it this time and his ears perked.

"Oki," he said. "Do that one more time."

Once again, Oki pounded. A few times now.

Then, Naruto was positive. When Oki pounded the ground, a sound had come from it. Not the '_thump_' of the ground, but a '_clang_' of metal.

"Oki!" He shouted, startling everyone and picked up the giggling boy, twirling him a little. "You're a genius!"

"What is it, Naruto?" Hinata asked him, puzzled.

Naruto set Oki down and knelt next to Hinata. He put his hand down and wiped away the dirt. It took him a few minutes, but he found it. A metal handle. Then, Naruto stood up and pulled hard on the handle. It swung open to a hole. No stairs, just a door-sized black hole.

Then, after everyone got over their shock, Ino cheered and picked up Oki. "Oh! You're a little hero, Oki! You did it!" She gave him a big kiss on his forehead and set him down again. The little boy blushed and put his thumb back in his mouth.

Naruto went down the hole first. He thumped down after about twelve feet. Then, he called up for Hinata to come down and caught her before she hit the ground. Then, Oki jumped down to him. After that, one by one, the shinobi hopped down the hole.

"Okay, Oki," Hinata said after they were all down. "Do you know where the kids are?"

This time, the little boy looked down and shook his head. Before, he'd told them they were all usually blindfolded, except when they did the experiments. Oki had hid in an alcove one day and they completely forgot about him. This was the day the attacks started and they hadn't been concerned about the little kids.

Naruto led them through the almost-dark, Oki on his back again. Suddenly, they heard a scream. Then, a whimper. Naruto looked back to see Shikamaru holding Ino, a fierce look in his eyes. She had been the one who whimpered.

They looked at Shikamaru curiously and he informed them, his voice tight, "That was Asuma's scream."

Once Ino had recovered from the shock, it took all they had just to keep her from running into the darkness and to keep her quiet. Eventually, Shikamaru was finally able to get her to focus on the task at hand.

They walked quietly through the narrow corridor. Naruto looked into several rooms that they passed, but they were all empty. Occasionally, they would hear a small shout from Asuma. All of them, especially Ino and Shikamaru, wanted to run towards the voice, but they had to find the kids first. If they blew their cover, the kids wouldn't be able to get out of the underground base without someone getting hurt.

Naruto held Hinata's hand as they walked through the tunnel. Oki was still attached to his back, but he didn't mind. He just didn't want to lose anyone in the darkness.

Suddenly, they came to a room. But, it wasn't empty. Two guards attacked them. One lunged at Naruto, but he ducked, pulling Hinata down, and the man sailed over him. Naruto heard a few grunts, then nothing. He turned around to see the two on the ground, Ino and Shikamaru tying their hands and feet together, breathing heavily. They were _really_ worried about Asuma and felt on edge.

With those two out of the way, Naruto peared into the room. About eleven children all looked up at him. There were girls and boys. A lot of them had different village symbols on their forehead protectors. Ikatsu must have put them on so they could tell them apart.

Sakura spoke to them in a soft tone, as to not scare them. "Hello. It's okay. We're here to help you. Come on, let's get you out of here."

So, they began to herd the kids toward the entrance, including Oki. Neji, Tenten, Ichi, and Kiba and Akamaru went with them to bring them all back to Konoha. Naruto found the situation very strange. This was too easy. Only two guards and complete quiet.

He led Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Sakura farther down the tunnel. They could run now, since the kids were safe and there didn't appear to be other guards. After a few minutes, Naruto signaled them all to stop. His ears perked, there was murmuring coming from down the tunnel. A lot of voices. That was also where Asuma's shouts were coming from.

They slowly crept until they came to a doorway that had light flooding out from it. Naruto peaked in and couldn't believe what he saw. About fifty of the nameless shinobi stood facing the other side of the room. He craned his neck to see, but he did see it. Asuma stood, chained to the wall, as people took turns taking a swing at him. He already had a few cuts and his abdomen was beginning to swell from the constant beating.

Off to the side, a few people gathered around a small cage. In it, was little Shin. It looked like he was sleeping, but he was very pale. A few poked him with a stick, like an animal.

Naruto turned back to his team and told them what was going on and why there were no guards. Shikamaru seethed silently and almost 'forgot' to hold Ino back. But, he did, knowing she would just get herself killed if she stomped right in.

"Alright, I'll distract the crowd," Naruto told them. "I saw Ikatsu near Asuma, but not Itachi. Sasuke and Sakura, you will continue down the tunnels. Ikatsu has Itachi on a pretty tight leash right now, so he'll be around here somewhere." They nodded and ran off immediately.

He turned to Hinata, Shikamaru, and Ino. "Hinata, while I distract, you get to Shin. Whatever you do, don't wait for the rest of us, get him and get back to Konoha as fast as you can. He needs medical attention."

Naruto took a deep breath. "Shikamaru, you keep Ikatsu busy while Ino frees Asuma and gets him out of there. He looks pretty beat, but I think he'll be fine to run. And that's our best bet. To run and regroup. Is everybody clear?"

They nodded and the plan went into action. Naruto ran in, fully in view and stabbed the nearest shinobi with a kunai. Every eye turned to him and he immediately did the hand signs for his sexy jutsu. Now that he got every eye on him he was going to get them to stay on him. While still in his sexy jutsu, Naruto cloned himself about twenty times. He was already sweating, but he just needed their attention long enough for the other to do their parts. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Hinata grab Shin's cage and run for the door, probably to get the cage open when nobody was around.

She turned to look at him when she was at the door, but just scrunched up her nose at the sexy jutsu and ran down the tunnel. _Oh yeah_, he thought, _I'm a girl at the moment._

Then, it was getting too much. Naruto let both jutsus go. People's attention were turning to Shikamaru's fight with Ikatsu. They were pretty evenly matched; the evil mastermind against the quiet genius. But, nobody dared to intefere. Ino had finally gotten Asuma free, but the shinobi noticed.

Naruto ran and fought off the nameless ninja as Ino helped Asuma to the door.

"AH!"

Every head turned. Near the front of the room, Shikamaru stood over Ikatsu, a kunai in the older man's chest. Shikamaru looked terrifying. His chest heaved with angry breaths. Then, while the others were in shock, he leapt through the crowd. When he was almost at the door, shinobi began to grab at him, but Naruto went in and they were able to get back to the room's entrance.

Shikamaru and Ino each wrapped one of Asuma's arms around their shoulders and ran toward the entrance. Naruto turned around and slammed the steel door shut, sticking a kunai in the handle so that nobody could get out.

Shikamaru's voice faintly yelled back to him, "Go find Sasuke and Sakura!"

So, he ran in the opposite direction.

* * *

Sasuke pushed Itachi away from him and resumed their hand-to-hand combat, Sakura staying out of the way and nursing her bleeding shoulder.

After a while, they had come to a wide room. There, Itachi was waiting for them.

Immediately, Sasuke charged the man. They fought closely until dividing, each using their jutsus and trying to stay at a longer range.

Sakura had tried to help at first, but she realized that this was Sasuke's fight and she let him have it. At one point, Itachi had Sasuke distracted, throwing weapons at him left and right. Then, Sakura saw him perform several hand signs.

Sasuke was too distracted dodging the weapons to notice and Sakura couldn't let him get hurt. At the last moment, Sakura was able to push him out of the way of the fire release, but the ball of fire had skimmed her shoulder, burning it.

Now, she sat on the sideline, clutching her injured shoulder as Sasuke fought angrily. Suddenly, Naruto ran in the room. He saw her and ran over. "Sakura! We have to get out of here!"

On his way to them, Naruto had come across a crack in the wall of the tunnel. If his geography was correct, there was a large water basin near there. If there was water coming in, then the whole base was going to be flooded soon.

It was hard, but Naruto's grand gestures eventually made Sasuke realize that they had to leave. So, finally getting in a good punch, Itachi staggered and Sasuke ran over.

Immediately, he picked up Sakura and started running through the tunnels, knowing Naruto was right behind them. Sasuke could hear his brother's mocking voice. "Ha! Running away again, brother?"

Sasuke smirked. It would all be over soon.

They all shot out of the hole just as water began to quickly fill the underground tunnels and shut the door behind them.

* * *

_Well, did you like it? I hope so. It was really rushed. Sorry. Like I said, it was my birthday on Friday and I had to babysit all day on Saturday. So, I hope you liked it! Thank you for reading! Please review!_


	17. Finally

_Oh my goodness. I am so totally and completely sorry to all of you who have been waiting and may have already gave up on me updating today. Sorry! But guess what? I went to see Breaking Dawn: Part 2 today! I'll talk about it at the bottom if anyone is planning to see it or is thinking about it. Again, so sorry! I didn't get home until 7:00. Love you all! Hope you enjoy! It's kind of short. SORRY!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters except for Ichi Himinaru._

* * *

**Chapter 17: Finally**

There was a large celebration happening in the fields of Konoha.

Ikatsu and Itachi were dead, the missing children had gone back to their families, and the shinobi of Konoha were throwing a party.

Currently, Naruto had finally convinced the band to play a slower song, so that the couples could dance to it.

Unfortunately, it was a waste. Ino and Shikamaru were drinking to their hearts' desire. Kurenai and Asuma were home with Shin. Sasuke and Sakura had disappeared. Even Tenten would rather spar than dance with her boyfriend, who doesn't dance anyway.

That left the rounding song for Naruto and Hinata to enjoy. Not that they were ungrateful at all.

"So," Naruto said suddenly, making his wife jump slightly. "What do you think about children?"

Hinata's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "I think children are wonderful, Naruto. Why do you ask?"

He avoided her gaze, his hands gripping her hips nervously. "Actually, I was wondering what you would think about h-having them. You know... with me. I-I mean, you know, just for... future reference and-"

Hinata cut him off with a quick kiss. "Naruto Uzumaki," she said to him sternly. "What in the world would make you think that I wouldn't want to have children with you? You _are_ my husband... I mean, you are my husband, right?"

Naruto growled and nipped her ear slightly. "Don't make fun of me," he told her. "That's no way to talk to your husband and the father of your future children."

Hinata smiled. Even marriage wouldn't douse some of Naruto's childish tendencies. But that was okay.

She loved him for that.

* * *

"_Shika-kun_!"

Ino was groaning to her boyfriend, hoping that he would get annoyed enough and finally give in.

"Please, Shika-kun?"

Not even giving the guy a few bottles of sake could get his butt on the dance floor.

"I don't dance, Ino."

Finally, the blonde huffed and stomped off. Why couldn't she fall for a big romantic type? Instead of Mr.-Lazy-Ass over there? But, she supposed that it couldn't be helped. No matter how much she groaned and griped about the shadow ninja, she would never want anyone else.

"Hello."

Ino turned to see a pale man behind her. She remembered him just being recruited as an ANBU. What was his name? Kai? Sai?

He held his hand out to her. "May I have this dance?"

Ino nodded and took his hand. Maybe she'd get her dance after all. With or without Shikamaru.

They glided gracefully across the dance floor. Ino was laughing and having a good time. Sai had seen Shikamaru glaring at them from the outdoor bar and asked her if she needed some help.

_How lucky is this? _Ino thought_. A new guy that wants to help get my lazy boyfriend off his ass? Hallelujah!_

So, as they danced to the changing songs, Ino could feel Shikamaru's glare burning into her back. But, when she had finally looked, he had disappeared. A wave of disappointment washed over Ino. Had he gotten too mad and left?

"Excuse me, may I cut in?"

Ino's head whipped around (accidentally hitting Sai) to see her boyfriend standing next to them, hard gaze drilling into the guy who dared to touch his girl. Ino loved watching him get all protective, knowing that he loved her and nobody else could.

Sai sighed. "I suppose." And as Shikamaru turned toward her, Sai threw a wink as he walked away.

"What the hell was that?"

Ino turned back to her angry boyfriend and smiled, giving a big kiss. When she pulled back, he was still glaring, though slightly dazed. She rolled her eyes.

"What were you thinking, Ino? Dancing around with some random guy. How could you be so stupid?"

At that, Ino's eyes blazed. "_Stupid_? I just wanted one dance, Shikamaru! But, you just couldn't be bothered with dancing when you could drink, could you? At least someone was considerate enough to spend some time with me! And he didn't even need convincing!"

Shikamaru's gaze didn't soften. But, he pulled her close and began swaying to the music with her.

After a few minutes of the silent treatment, Ino spoke up. "I thought you didn't dance."

He grunted. "Doesn't mean I can't."

Ino smiled into Shikamaru's shoulder.

She loved her lazy, stubborn, pig-headed boyfriend.

* * *

While the party raged on below, a pair watched from above.

Sasuke and Sakura had gotten away from the party, rather watching from above on top of a nearby building. She missed her old apartment, which would have been the best spot at a time like this, but staying with Naruto and Hinata was actually pretty fun.

They sat in a comfortable silence. Sakura leaned back on his chest, her eyes closed, drinking in the joyous feeling that the celebration projected.

She opened her eyes when the music stopped.

"Hey everyone!"

It was Kiba with the microphone, yelling above the crowd. "I have an anouncement!" He said. Sakura was interested.

"I'm gettin' married!"

Sakura scoffed at that and turned to gauge her boyfriend's reaction. "To who?" He asked with a curious eyebrow raised.

Then, they looked down to Kiba again. "I'd like you all to meet my bride!" Even as he talked, you could tell he had had a few drinks. But, that didn't seem to deter him at all.

"Ichi!"

Sakura burst out laughing, as did everyone else at the party, when Kiba brought the blonde mist shinobi on stage and planted a big kiss on her lips. It looked as if she was even more drunk than he was.

"Well," she said to Sasuke as the commotion calmed down somewhat. "That was an interesting turn of events."

He grunted. "Well, it sure livened up the party. A wedding is even more of an excuse to drink than winning a war." Sakura laughed and the corners of his mouth quirked up in a smile.

He continued. "I actually never thought about Kiba getting married. He's too... wild."

Sakura turned so that her cheek rested against his shoulder. "Actually, they're perfect for each other. I met her in the hospital. She's a tracker, just like him. She relies a lot on her nose, is funny, and she loves a good time. Except, she's really smart and strategic, unlike Kiba. They really hit it off."

Sasuke stared at her. "What?" She asked.

"Since when do you gossip?"

Sakura's face flushed and she sat up. "I do not! I was there when it happened. I'm serious!" She added when he started laughing.

Sasuke still chuckled when he trapped one of her hands in his and rolled her onto her back, him on top. She pouted and he let her flip them so she was on top.

Sakura nuzzled his neck with her nose before kissing her way up to his mouth. But, before she got there, Sakura jumped up and started running over the building roofs. Sasuke chuckled and shook his head before chasing her into the night.

His girlfriend was weird.

* * *

So, as the night went on, everyone had at least one dance with their significant other.

The party was winding down and Naruto and Hinata were getting in one last dance before they finally went home and it was all over.

Hinata rested her head on Naruto's shoulder, almost asleep but not wanting the night to end. Everyone was skeptical about how the battle had been won, but Ikatsu and Itachi were, indefinitely, dead and they were all safe. And that was all that mattered.

"It's finally over, Naru-kun," Hinata said to him as they danced. "We can begin our new life together, now."

Naruto pulled away slightly and smiled warmly at her. "I don't think so, Hina-chan." After seeing the surprised look in her eyes, he pulled her to him again.

"Our life together has already begun."

* * *

_Well, guys! That's it! Don't worry there will be an Epilogue. With the kids! Oh shoot! I just gave it away :( Oh well. But, remember, I WILL NOT be updating next week because of Thanksgiving. Sorry! But, I'm sure you guys won't have time to read it anyway with the family things. Please review! Love you all!_

* * *

_Now, on to you Twilight fans out there. Breaking Dawn: Part 2 was AMAZING! *Cue inner fangirl* EEEEEEEP!_

_1.) Bella was so much better than in the other movies. She's much more independent and doesn't rely on Edward so much. Her character is much more developed and Kristen Stewart acted very well in it._

_2.) It stuck to the book. You see so many books that have movies that are so changed that you can't recognize the events happening! This one actually took quotes and events straight from the book and that made me SO happy because it was a REALLY good book._

_3.) It kept you on your toes. I cried... CRIED. Then, I laughed and AWed with the rest of the theater because it was JUST THAT GOODI was freaking out at one point, like THIS WASN'T IN THE BOOK! AH! But it was OKAY. I almost got a heart attack, but it got better._

_Anyway, I hope you guys see it. I definitely recommend the books to any romance fan. Even though I hated the second book. But if you last until the fourth book, trust me, you will literally FALL IN LOVE. Sorry if I wasted your time with this long movie review. But thank you if you read it! I hope you see the movie!_


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue: Seven Years Later**

"Daddy!"

Naruto lifted his head and smiled. He got up from his desk and bent down just as his daughter jumped into his arms.

"Oof!" He said, as she knocked him flat on his back.

"Runo!"

They both looked back to see an agitated Hinata in the doorway. "You were supposed to wait for me."

"Aw, come on Hina-chan. She's excited," Naruto said, standing up with Runo still in his arms. He looked down at her. She had Hinata's porcelain skin, small nose and chin, and her lavender, Byakugan eyes. But the rest was all Naruto. Her hair was a deep golden-yellow and her personality was as loud, carefree, and obnoxious as his. "So, Run. What do you want to tell me?"

The six-year-old's pale eyes lit up and her long pigtails swayed as talked. "Daddy! Humi and Kito both smiled today! Wanna see?"

He nodded and squirmed for him to put her down. He did and she led him over to his wife. He kissed her hello. Then, he smiled down at the two little bundles in her arms.

About two months earlier, Hinata gave birth to twins, Humi and Kito Uzumaki. Strangely enough, they were identical. Even stranger, they both had Naruto's mother's deep red-orange hair. The babies also had Hinata's eyes, but theirs were a light blue, instead of lavender.

Runo came up by the twins and used her hands to make funny faces at them. Kito let out a big smile with his mouth open and Humi smiled; just a little turn at the corners of her closed mouth.

So far, Kito's been the louder baby, crying and screaming consistently, while his sister, Humi, stayed nice and quiet most of the time. Humi was also two minutes younger than Kito.

"Are you almost done, Naruto?" Hinata asked him.

Naruto looked back to the mountain of paperwork on his desk. "Yeah. The rest isn't really urgent."

Hinata smiled. "Good, because we have to pick up Genji from Ino's. He and Jiro tired themselves out. She said they're sleeping."

Genji was their other little boy. He was three years old and the spitting image of Hinata, from the dark hair to the pale eyes.

They often visited Kiba. He and Ichi now also had four kids, Ikki, Nona, Sasumaru, and Genkoro.

Hinata was getting really frustrated. "I just wish that at least one of our children had your beautiful blue eyes," she would say. But, Naruto was happy with them. It meant that they had more protection. Because, no doubt, being the Hokage's kid put a huge target on their backs.

That's why, even though he now had responsibilities as Hokage, Naruto still trained. He would protect his family, no matter what.

* * *

At this time, Sakura was also finishing up her work at the hospital.

"Are you almost done, Mom?"

Sakura looked up to her seven-year-old son, Koji, waiting for her on the couch in her office. He had inherited her rosy pink hair that curled slightly at his ears. But, he had also inherited Sasuke's obsidian eyes and stoic attitude, preferring to keep to himself than socialize with others.

He held his sleeping little sister in his arms. Minori had just turned four. She was almost the opposite of her big brother with Sasuke's long dark hair braided down her back and Sakura's startling green eyes. Minori was more outgoing than Koji, but hated being the center of attention. Koji had his arms wrapped around her protectively as she slept, her head tucked into his neck.

Sakura smiled at the scene. "Almost, sweetie. I just have to sign this report and we can head home."

When Sakura was finally ready, Koji got up and positioned Minori on his back, the motion jostling her awake.

Her drowsy green orbs looked to Sakura as they walked. "Mommy, when is daddy getting home?"

Sakura sighed. "Only a few more days honey. Then, he gets some days off so he can play with you."

Minori nodded, then yawned and buried her face back into her brother's neck. Sakura smiled and leaned down to kiss her head.

Sakura would carry her daughter herself, but alas, she was pregnant again. They were trying to rebuild the Uchiha clan. Though, Sasuke insisted that it wasn't too important, Sakura -like Naruto- had always wanted a big family and was very happy.

She also could already tell that Koji was going to be a very good, protective big brother. As if Minori needed more overprotective males watching over her. And he would be good to the new baby, too.

Sakura couldn't wait until Sasuke got home from his mission to tell him the great news.

* * *

Ino smiled at her little boy, Jiro, as she lifted the sleeping child from the couch.

He had been on play-date with Genji Uzumaki and -as happens with any Uzumaki- he was completely tuckered out.

He and her oldest son, seven-year-old Shikako -slightly different than his grandfather-, had both gotten her platinum blonde hair. But, while Jiro had also gotten her blue eyes, Shikako had his father's dark eyes. Shikako had also inherited Shikamaru's laziness and genius, while Jiro had gotten her outgoing and perky attitude.

Then, just over six months ago, they'd been blessed with a baby girl, Isumi. She had her fathers dark hair, but Ino's blue eyes. They couldn't really tell her personality yet. She seemed to be pleasant and more outgoing, but also very smart. For a baby, that is.

"Hey."

Ino started and looked to see Shikamaru himself looking at her from the doorway.

"I'll put Jiro to bed. Our daughter wants you. And don't forget, we're babysitting Shin tomorrow." To prove his point, the baby's howl carried down the hallway from the nursery.

Ino smiled and handed their son off to him, kissing him before going to the nursery.

Thankfully, the boys inherited something else from their father. They slept like rocks. For example, Shikako was already in bed. Since they slept heavily, the boys snoring didn't bother each other, as they shared a bedroom.

As Ino entered the light blue nursery, Isumi quieted, sensing her mother. Usually, it seemed that she preferred her daddy, but she had been under the weather with a cold lately and when she's sick or feeling icky, it's mommy to the rescue.

She lifted the little girl out of her crib and bounced her a little as she snuggled into her mommy's arms, giving a tiny sniff.

Ino looked at her little red nose. "Oh, baby girl, are you sick?" Seeming to understand her, the baby gave another little cute sniff. "Aw. Well, let's bring you to mommy and daddy's room. I think you're just a little cold in this big room all by yourself."

Ino continued her baby-talk all the way to their room, where Shikamaru was already in bed, waiting for her.

He sighed. "Ino, she's going to get _us_ sick, too, if you bring her to bed."

Ino turned Isumi so that he could see her red little face. "Aw, but Shika-kun. Look at how miserable she is. She just wants to snuggle with us." For added emphasis, Isumi gave a little sniff.

That did it and Shikamaru held out his arms.

So, they slept, Ino on Shikamaru's left side and Isumi snuggled into his chest. He was one pretty lucky guy.

* * *

"Neji! Could you check on Machi?" Tenten yelled from outside.

Neji sighed and got up from his desk. Machi was their two-year-old daughter. She's had quite a curious streak and they had to keep an eye on her at all times.

A couple of years ago, between Naruto and Hanabi, they had finally gotten rid of the caged bird seal. Then, Neji was ecstatic when Tenten told him she was pregnant. He had just never wanted his child to be sealed, which is why they waited so long.

He found Machi in the den, trying to get on her feet, but ending up plopping back down on the carpet. After a few more tries, she just sat there and started to wail.

Neji quickly jumped in to comfort her. "Oh, Machi. Would you like some help?"

The stubborn baby squirmed away before eventually plopping back down with a huff. Neji took that as a 'Fine'.

So, Neji took her little hands and lifted her to a standing position. After letting her get her balance, he slowly let go of her fingers.

She stood for a few more seconds before trying to take a step and falling again.

Neji sighed. This was going to be a long couple of years. But the best, nonetheless.

* * *

Finally, Hinata and Naruto flopped into their bed together.

The dishes were clean, the children were all sleeping, and they were ready for bed.

Naruto pulled her close. "So, is this the big family you expected?"

Hinata smiled and kissed his nose. "It's much better." Then, she pouted. "I still can't believe none of them got your eyes."

Naruto laughed. "That's okay. It means they have the Byakugan. It's more to protect them and I'm thankful for that." He grinned. "Besides, that means I'm special."

Hinata smiled softly and snuggled into his chest. "You were always special."

Naruto sighed happily and they sat in silence for a few moments. Naruto broke it. "Hinata-" he started, but then seemed to think better of it.

Hinata looked up at him. "What is it, Naru-kun?"

"W-When did you realize you...?"

He didn't finish, but she knew what he meant. When did she realized she loved him?

Hinata smiled at her husband. "Well, I've loved you for a long time, Naru-kun. I'm thinking... the first time I met you."

His eyes widened. "But, that was so long ago..." He trailed off as she nodded. Then, Hinata was suddenly pulled into a big bear hug. "I'm so sorry, Hina-chan... for making you wait."

Hinata pulled back and kissed him before snuggling into his chest again.

"It's okay," she told him. "It was worth it."

And it definitely was.

**The End**

**For Now**

* * *

_Well, that's it! I would like to thank all of my dedicated readers who looked for an update each week. _

_I would especially like to thank Leon The Bulletproof, iluvninjas, RedRangerBelt, and charmedprincess101 for reviewing almost every SINGLE chapter! Love you guys and thank you so much for the support!_

_I'm sorry to some of you who didn't want to see the story end, but don't worry! I will definitely make a **Christmas Special** with all of the kids! Now, **review, do you guys want it to be the ages they are now? Or older, when they have crushes?**_

_Again, thank you all for reading! And I will definitely be using these characters more in the future, but I'm taking a break from Naruto for a little bit. I NEED to write a fic about Flack and Jamie Lovato for CSI: New York. Nobody's writen one yet! So, that's my next project._

_Again, thank you! I hope to see you again!_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters._**


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